Joseph Staten, one of the creatives most closely associated with the Halo franchise, is leaving Microsoft. News of the departure was first reported on Friday by . “We are grateful for Joseph’s contributions to the Halo franchise and Xbox in general,” Microsoft told the outlet. “We wish him all the best in his new adventure.” Staten later confirmed the news later that day: “Hey folks, I’m actually leaving Microsoft,” he said. . “I’ll have more information to share soon, but for now, I’d just like to thank all my colleagues at Xbox for all your understanding and support as I embark on a new adventure.”
Hello friends, I am actually leaving Microsoft. I’ll have more information to share soon, but for now, I’d like to thank all of my @Xbox colleagues for all your understanding and support as I embark on a new adventure. https://t.co/oMR0LXOzZb
—Jose Staten (@joestaten) April 8, 2023
Staten wrote and directed cinematics for Bungie’s first three Halo games and later served as co-creative director for Destination. He left the studio in 2013 and joined Microsoft the following year as a senior creative director on the Xbox Games Studios team. In 2020, he will help the studio complete work on infinite halo. Staten’s departure from Microsoft comes after months of uncertainty surrounding 343 and the future of Halo. In January, the company reassigned Staten to its Xbox publishing division at the same time he was in the studio. Later that same month, Bloomberg reported that the studio was “” on a new Halo game following their struggle to maintain interest in Infinite.
