Veteran down! In what can only be termed as a shocker, Bonnie Ross, the studio head and founder of 343 Industries has announced that she is departing the company.
Ross, Corporate Vice President of Xbox Game Studios, led 343 Industries, the home of Halo, which she founded in 2007 to continue the gaming franchise following Bungie’s split.
She had been with Microsoft since 1994, a key part of the company’s gaming push for three decades. Ross famously took the reins at 343 Industries after pitching her version for Halo at a time when the company’s corporate climate was that the franchise was in decline.
The Xbox veteran also worked on franchises like Gears of War and Alan Wake and even oversaw third-party publishing deals for Jade Empire and Mass Effect.
The move is immediate, with Ross leaving to attend a family medical issue. She hoped to stay with the company to complete the upcoming Winter Update launch, but the health emergency brought forward her plans.
Here announcement:
— Bonnie Ross (@PlutonForEver) September 12, 2022
Over the years, Ross and her team collaborated to ship several acclaimed Halo games, including Halo 3: ODST, Halo: Spartan Assault, Halo Wars 2, Halo 4, Halo 5: Guardians, and the ambitious Halo: The Master Chief Collection.
The universe has since expanded to include the Halo TV series.
Halo, the flagship Xbox game series, is a sci-fi franchise set in the distant future that has humanity battling for survival against various alien factions.
Microsoft has announced that her role at 343 Industries will be split into three parts, with production lead Pierre Hintz taking over the Halo development, both current and future, Bryan Koskie to take charge as GM of Franchise, and Elizabeth Van Wyck at hand to oversee business and operations.
This departure comes at a time when Halo is again experiencing uncertain times, with people calling for changes at 343 Industries.
Halo Infinite launched to a less-than-stellar reception, with its live service leaving fans clamoring for faster content delivery. The Winter Update, set to arrive in November, will be the largest content package to date for the game and includes a powerful map-building tool dubbed Forge and a cooperative campaign.
However, plans for split-screen local play have been axed.
