[GameSpot] - Halo Boss Bonnie Ross Is Leaving 343 Industries

[343iBot]

Bonnie Ross, the head of Halo development studio 343 Industries, is leaving the company. She said on Twitter that he had planned to stay with 343 until the November launch of Halo Infinite's Winter Update, but has decided to leave now to deal with a "family medical issue."

"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," she said. "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."

Though Ross is moving on, she said Halo has a "bright" future ahead of it, adding that she is excited for fans to see what the studio has in store for the future of the franchise. Ross also thanked fans for their support over the years.

She started her career at Microsoft in 1994 and worked her way up to corporate vice president and head of 343 Industries in her latest role. She is leaving Microsoft entirely, not just the 343 team. Pierre Hintze is becoming the new 343 studio head, effective immediately.

"After more than 28 years in gaming at Microsoft, including 15 years leading 343 Industries and Halo through its most ambitious steps forward, Bonnie Ross will be leaving Microsoft and spending more time with her family," a Microsoft spokesperson told WindowsCentral. "We are thankful for her leadership of 343 during which the team launched Halo 4, Halo 5, Halo: The Master Chief Collection, the Halo television series, and Halo Infinite. We wish her all the best. Head of Production Pierre Hintze will become Studio Head effective immediately. The 343 team is hard at work shipping the Winter Update, the biggest Halo Infinite update since launch."

Connected to this, Bryan Koski is becoming GM of the franchise team at 343, while Elizabeth Van Wyck will oversee 343's business and operations teams.

Halo Infinite's Winter Update, which launches on November 8, is the most substantial update for the game thus far. It adds the much-requested Match XP feature, a Forge beta, online campaign co-op, and more. Looking further out,Season 3: Echoes Within is coming in March 2023 with the Bandit Rifle and more.

One feature not coming to Halo Infinite, however, is split-screen campaign co-op. Microsoft canceled the feature entirely, after promising earlier that all future Halo FPS games would support it. The company is instead focusing on fleshing out Halo Infinite's live-service plans.

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