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Bonnie Ross, founder and corporate vice president of Halo Infinite developer 343 Industries, is leaving the company. The industry veteran, who led 343 Industries as well as the Halo franchise as a whole for 15 years, worked for nearly three decades throughout the Xbox brand in various roles.
"While I had hoped to stay with Halo until we released the Winter Update, I am letting you know I will be leaving 343 and attending to a family medical issue," Ross tweeted. "I am incredibly proud of the work everyone at 343 Industries has done with Halo Infinite, the Master Chief Collection, the Halo television series and so much more."
Ross and her team worked on various entries in the Halo universe over the years, including Halo: Reach, Halo 3: ODST, and Halo Anniversary. Most recently, Ross worked as a prominent part of the 343 Industries team to bring Halo Infinite to life. Her departure comes in the middle of widespread player frustration and unhappiness over some of the decisions made regarding Halo Infinite's future, including the decision to cancel local split-screen co-op play.
The now-former studio head will miss the debut of the Halo Infinite Winter Update, the largest the game has seen since its initial launch. It's slated for release on November 8, 2022, and will bring Forge and co-op modes to the game as well as additional content.
343 Industries Restructures Following Ross's Departure
With Ross leaving the company, 343 Industries Head of Production Pierre Hintze has taken over as the new studio head effective immediately. There were additional shakeups to the studio's chain of command as well. Former Head of Marketing Bryan Koski is now GM of the Halo franchise, and Elizabeth Van Wyck will now helm business and operations.
These new roles effectively comprise Ross's duties, assigning three different sets of responsibilities to three individuals as smaller roles. With additional Halo content on the horizon, including a second season of the Paramount+ TV show, these new roles assigned to multiple individuals should help to bolster what's left in the pipeline for Halo fans.
It doesn't look like any of the plans 343 Industries has for the Halo franchise will change as of yet, at least according to these new positions and the restructuring. It remains to be seen if any additional changes will come down the pipeline related to Ross's exit from the developer.
Halo Infinite is available to play now on Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, and PC.
About the writer
Brittany Vincent is a Newsweek gaming editor based in Kentucky. Her focus is reporting on video games, the game industry, ... Read more