Frank O’Connor is the latest longtime Halo developer to leave the series, and Xbox has confirmed to Axios that the longtime franchise director has left after spending 20 years on the series.
In a statement, Microsoft said, “We thank him for his great contributions to the Halo franchise and wish him all the best in his future endeavors.
Rumors of O’Connor’s departure began when fans noticed a Linkedin update that indicated he was no longer with the company. He started working as his manager at Bungie Content in late 2003 and wrote the Bungie Weekly Update. In his 2008 he joined Microsoft Studios and was able to stay with the franchise after Bungie split.
Microsoft has confirmed the retirement of longtime Halo franchise director Frank O’Connor, who has worked on the Master Chief games for 20 years.
— Stephen Totilo (@stephentotilo) April 17, 2023
He’s a household name among Halo fans, appearing in Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn as Caretaker Beamish and co-writing Halo: Evolutions – Essential Tales of the Halo Universe. After that, he took development director roles on his Halo 5 and Halo Infinite, and was a frequent spokesperson for the franchise.
His resignation follows shortly after Joseph Staten, who joined Halo Infinite in 2020 to prepare for the launch of the troubled project. announced to lead
Frank O’Connor from Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn web series. Photo credit: IMDB.
As for O’Connor, his next destination is currently unknown. O’Connor’s last tweet was in January, when he showed no signs of leaving Microsoft.
Wherever he ends up, many of the old guards seem to have left Halo, and Halo Infinite struggles to live up to its high expectations, so it’s unclear where the series will go next.
Kat Bailey is IGN’s Senior News Editor and co-host of Nintendo Voice Chat. Any tips? Send her a DM at @the_katbot.
