Halo Infinite Creative Director Joseph Staten Departs From 343 Industries To Rejoin Xbox Publishing

Microsoft laid off 10,000 employees across various departments yesterday, including its HoloLens and engineering sectors as well as at gaming companies in its portfolio like Bethesda Game Studios and 343 Industries. 

While the exact details and departments of the layoffs are not yet known, Bethesda Game Studios has laid off some workers who were hard at work in Starfield’s preparations for release. According to a Bloomberg However, 343 Industries, a Halo Infinite development company, was the hardest hit by the layoffs. Although neither Microsoft nor 343 industries has provided an exact figure, industry discussions online suggest that the studio saw a significant number of layoffs. 

Joseph Staten was the Halo Infinite creative Director. He was appointed to the team in 2020 and helped bring the game to completion. However, he announced that he would be leaving the company to join Xbox Publishing. Staten told 343 Industries employees that 343 Industries had made the hard decision to restructure certain elements of its team. This means that some positions are being eliminated. Bloomberg. This massive wave of layoffs comes as Microsoft continues to gain approval from various agencies like the FTC  for its acquisition of Call of Duty maker Activision Blizzard for a colossal $69 billion. 

Patrick Wren is a former Halo Infinite senior multiplayer developer. TwitterYesterday’s announcement by 343 Industries that they had not laid off employees was a resounding no. 

Halo Infinite shouldn’t be in such a bad place. Incompetent Halo Infinite leadership is the reason behind both these problems. This causes immense stress to those trying hard for Halo’s best.

The people with whom I was working every day were passionate about Halo, and they wanted to do something for Halo fans. These people pushed for better Halo, and were eventually laid off. The dream is still being pursued by the Devs. Take a look at Forge. Be kind during this terrible time.” 

Wren was contacted by a former contractor who worked on Halo Infinite. He wrote, “Don’t forget the heavy dependence on vendors/contractors and that corrupt system (though that’s more MS). The former contractor stated that they would have liked to be on the team and work my way up, which Wren responded to by saying “The contract stuff” is another can of problems. There are so many talented people that have disappeared. 

Read more about Microsoft’s huge 10,000-person layoff wave that occurred yesterday. 

They are the hearts and souls Game Informer All those affected by the layoffs are supported by staff.

[Source: Bloomberg]