Joseph Staten, one of the most critical creative figures in the Halo series, has confirmed that he will leave Microsoft. According to Microsoft, it told IGN that the company is “grateful for Staten’s contributions to the Halo franchise and Xbox in general” and “wish him all the best in his new journey ahead.” Staten himself confirmed the matter on Twitter later, saying that specific plans for the future will be announced later. At present, he just wants to thank all Xbox colleagues for their understanding and support.
Staten started his career at Bungie as a writer and game film director for the first three Halo games, and as co-creative director on Destiny. He left Bungie in 2013 to join Microsoft as Senior Creative Director for Xbox Game Studio. In 2020, he transferred to 343 Industries to assist in the completion of “The Last Battle: Infinite”. However, in January of this year, 343 Industries lost at least 95 employees in Microsoft’s layoffs, and Staten was also transferred to Xbox Game Publishing. department. The future of Halo is currently as uncertain as Staten’s, with rumors that 343 Industries intends to “start from scratch” on Halo and switch to Epic’s Unreal Engine game engine.