Halo Infinite was once hailed by Microsoft as a platform to build upon for “the next ten years”, but that’s in doubt now that several key creative talents have left.
Halo Infinite simply cannot catch a break. Despite offering Xbox players some seriously solid PvP multiplayer and a new open-world approach to the Master Chief story, proceedings seemed a little suspect when 343 Studios’ game missed the Xbox Series X|S launch window and was delayed by a year. Since then, the team has been hard at work trying to keep the game afloat, but it’s been bleeding staff for the better part of a year – and now two creative leads have left in as many weeks.
The latest key team member is none other than Halo franchise director Frank O’Connor, a veteran creative talent on the Xbox exclusive series ever since 2004. He started out as a writer and community manager at Bungie before joining the new home of Halo, 343 Studios, once it took over the reins in 2011. However, according to O’Connor’s LinkedIn page (as first spotted by WindowsCentral ), he has since moved on to pastures new.
O’Connor’s departure comes just a week after another long-time Halo figure, Joseph Staten, was also revealed to have now left Microsoft entirely after already departing 343 Studios back in January amidst layoffs. He confirmed the news in a recent Twitter post, explaining “I am indeed leaving Microsoft”. Staten neglected to mention where it was he’d be off to next at the time, but he has since revealed in a follow up tweet today that he will be joining Netflix on “a brand-new AAA multiplatform game and original IP” as creative director.
From the outside, it doesn’t look to be all doom and gloom for Halo Infinite, with the game recently launching its third season last month. Bringing new maps, modes and a 100-tier Battle Pass for players to complete, 343 Industries hailed Season 3: Echoes Within as “the beginning of what seasonality is for Halo Infinite” in an accompanying Xbox Wire blog. However, it’s hard not to question why so many franchise veterans continue to leave the project during what should be an exciting time for one of Xbox’s flagship first-party games.
Halo, goodbye
As someone who immensely enjoyed Halo Infinite’s free-to-play multiplayer when it (finally) launched in 2021, it’d sad to see the game not be treated as a serious contender with other tentpole online shooters like Call of Duty, Destiny and Fortnite. Halo used to be hailed as one of the must-play FPS titles for many, but the longer 343 Studios leaves it to die via long, drawn-out content updates, the increased likelihood that the Halo franchise as a whole, risks becoming irrelevant.
Joseph Staten and Frank O’Conner were two core leads on the creative side of things, heading up all things narrative and lore. It saddens me that the team at 343 Studios don’t seem to be taking this side of the project seriously, because ultimately – just as much as the online console multiplayer – the story of Master Chief, Cortana and The Arbiter proved equally engaging for Xbox players.
Only time will tell how much impact these high-profile departures will have on Halo Infinite in general, but it’s immensely clear that it is no longer a long-term platform. If it’s smart, 343 Studios will change gears and focus its attention on a hypothetical Halo 6. This is time that PlayStation could use to create a rival FPS on PS5 capable of removing Halo’s crown. Alas, just as the future of Halo no longer seems certain, so does PlayStation’s interest in the FPS genre.
