343 Industries head and founder Bonnie Ross announced that she is leaving the studio.
“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 says in a statement on Twitter.
She continues, “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. It has been an honor to serve alongside the team for the last 15 years and to be a part of a universe that I love.”
— Bonnie Ross (@PlutonForEver) September 12, 2022
In a statement to Windows Central, Microsoft says that effective immediately, head of production Pierre Hintze will take over as studio head in Ross’s place. He will lead the ongoing development of Halo Infinite, The Master Chief Collection, and future games. Bryan Koski will be the general manager of franchise and Elizbeth Van Wyck will be in charge of business and operations.
Ross has been with Microsoft for the past 28 years and lead 343 Industries for 15 of them. She has worked on a large number of Halo games, including Halo 4, Halo 5: Guardians, Halo: The Master Chief Collection, and Halo Infinite.
Currently, 343 Industries is working on the Winter update for Halo Infinite, which releases on November 8 and brings the much anticipated Forge Mode as well as the online co-op feature for the campaign. Unfortunately, the split-screen co-op functionality has been canceled.
George Yang is a freelance writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @yinyangfooey
(Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
