343 Industries founder and studio head Bonnie Ross is leaving the company and the Halo franchise. Bonnie Ross has been in charge of 343 Industries since the studio's formation in 2007, helping lead the charge on the Halo franchise after Bungie's split from Microsoft. Ross, who has worked for Microsoft in varying capacities since the mid-90s, confirmed her departure in a recent tweet.
According to Ross, she is leaving 343 Industries and Microsoft due to an undisclosed "family medical issue." Originally, Ross wanted to stay with 343 until Halo Infinite released its big Winter Update on November 8, but she has decided to leave 343 sooner than expected. In her tweet, Ross thanked the Halo community and said she is proud of the work that everyone has done on games like Halo Infinite and Halo: The Master Chief Collection, as well as projects like the Halo TV series on Showtime.
343 Industries is shaking up its leadership in the wake of Ross' departure from the company. As revealed in a report by Windows Central, Pierre Hintze is 343's new studio head. Bryan Koski and Elizabeth Van Wyck have also been promoted to new roles, with Koski now the GM of Franchise and Van Wyick overseeing business and operations.
Head of Xbox Phil Spencer has commented on Ross' departure from 343 Industries. In a tweet, Spencer thanked Ross for her contributions to the Xbox brand and helping to expand the Halo universe during her time with the studio. Rod Fergusson, who is currently overseeing Diablo franchise development at Blizzard but previously worked with The Coalition on Xbox's Gears of War franchise, also chimed in, describing Ross as "a great leader and a better person." The Game Awards and Summer Game Fest host Geoff Keighley responded to Ross' tweet by giving his best to her and her family.
Ross' departure from 343 Industries is unlikely to have an immediate impact on franchise plans. After all, 343 already detailed Halo Infinite's big Winter Update, which includes the long-awaited introduction of campaign co-op and Forge mode, and it has also revealed its Season 3 roadmap. Unless plans change, fans can count on Halo Infinite Season 3 kicking off in 2023 with the content that has already been revealed in the roadmap. Considering this, it may be a year or more before Hintze's vision for Halo Infinite and the Halo brand in general become more apparent.
Source: Windows Central