The company has confirmed to IGN that Halo Infinite’s creative lead and cinematic director for the first three Halo games, Joseph Staten, is leaving Microsoft.
In that message, Microsoft didn’t say where Staten was headed next or why he’d be leaving Microsoft after nine years.
A Microsoft spokesperson said, “We appreciate Joseph’s contributions to the Halo franchise and Xbox as a whole, and wish him every success in his new adventures.”
Staten has long been one of the most recognizable names behind the Halo franchise, having served as cinematic director on Combat Evolved, Halo 2, and Halo 3, and lead writer for Destiny at Bungie.
He eventually left Bungie and moved to Microsoft as Senior Creative Director. He initially avoided working on his Halo for 343 and concentrated on shaping a franchise strategy for Microsoft Studios titles. He returned to the franchise in his 2020 campaign as a campaign project lead, and later as head of the creative department, where he oversaw Halo Infinite. Then, earlier this year, he rejoined Xbox Publishing at the same time that Microsoft announced layoffs of his 10,000 employees, including 343 employees.
Staten declined to comment for this article.
Rebekah Valentine is a news reporter for IGN. you can find her on her twitter @duck valentine.
