After right this moment’s announcement that Microsoft will lay off 10,000 individuals, particulars on how inside restructuring will hit its gaming divisions proceed to emerge, with Halo Infinite’s 343 Industries among the many studios impacted.
In line with Bloomberg, Joseph Staten, a Halo veteran who started his profession with Bungie in 1998, will transition from his Halo Infinite artistic director function and rejoin Xbox’s publishing division. Staten joined the staff at 343 Industries in 2020 because the marketing campaign challenge lead on Halo Infinite and later noticed a title change to Head of Inventive.
Bloomberg’s report contains an electronic mail from 343 Industries head Pierre Hintze, who defined the studio “made the troublesome determination to restructure” and that help for Halo Infinite’s dwell service options will proceed. Particulars on Staten’s new function and the precise diploma of affect at 343 Industries stay unclear for now.
Staten’s credit embrace a protracted historical past with the Halo sequence, beginning along with his function because the cinematic director on Fight Advanced, Halo 2, and Halo 3. His work on the Halo universe contains authoring a few of its novelizations, and the studio lead additionally served as lead author on Bungie’s sci-fi shooter, Future. He departed his function on the MMO and later rejoined Microsoft in 2014.
The Halo studio is amongst many impacted by Microsoft’s layoffs, together with Gears of Conflict studio, The Coalition, and the extra lately acquired Bethesda. Microsoft’s weblog notes that cuts affect 5% of its workforce. That is along with the 1,000 staff let go in October 2022.
As cuts and restructuring prolong into its recreation studios, Microsoft continues to be shifting ahead with acquisitions. A 12 months in the past right this moment, the corporate introduced it will purchase Activision Blizzard for a record-breaking $68.7 billion. That deal later got here underneath hearth by regulatory our bodies, just like the US Federal Commerce Fee, with investigations ongoing.
Andrea Shearon is a contract contributor for IGN protecting video games and leisure. She’s worn a number of hats over her seven-year profession within the video games business, with bylines over at Fanbyte, USA Immediately’s FTW, TheGamer, VG247, and RPG Website. Discover her on Twitter (@Maajora) or the Materia Possessions podcast chatting about FFXIV, RPGs, and any sequence involving large robots.