343 Industries is being shaken up to ensure Halo Infinite is on track, according to Bloomberg and later confirmed by 343 Industries. Microsoft is reallocating some of its senior leadership staff to assist with the flagship project. These are Bungie veteran Joseph Staten and Halo: The Master Chief Collection Head of Publishing Pierre Hintze.
Joseph Staten previously acted as a writer for the first three Halo games with Bungie, as well as Halo: Reach, ReCore, and Crackdown 3. Now, he will transition to Halo Infinite as project lead after Tell Me Why launches this week. Pierre Hintze, meanwhile, will become the project lead of the free-to-play experience. These two team members will work alongside 343’s current studio head Chris Lee, reporting directly to Xbox Game Studios Corporate Vice President Bonnie Ross.
These staff changes are said in the Bloomberg report to be intended to bring more expertise to the team, following the backlash in response to the game’s less-than-stellar appearance at the Xbox Games Showcase last month. This is just another measure taken by Microsoft to ensure Halo Infinite meets fan expectations. The company already delayed Halo Infinite from its intended launch alongside the Xbox Series X hardware, a move that was largely met with understanding by fans.
