Bonnie Ross, the founder and head of 343 Industries, is leaving the studio. Ross announced the news in a tweet about an hour ago:
“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. 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.”
We wish Ross and her family the best.
343’s leadership team is seeing a shakeup following the news. According to Windows Central, Pierre Hintze is now studio head, “effective immediately.”
Who is Pierre Hintze? He’s been with 343 Industries as Head of Publishing since 2018. After being with the studio for less than a year, Hintze was tasked with leading the team that ultimately turned the Halo: Master Chief Collection around. Five years later and the Master Chief Collection is in great shape as it continues to get more content and broader mod support.
While only with 343 Industries for just over five years, Hintze has more than two decades of experience in the gaming industry.
343’s senior leadership is also expanding with a pair of new roles with Bryan Koski becoming GM of Franchise, and Elizabeth Van Wyck heading up business and operations.
Today’s news comes as Halo Infinite fans feel restless about the game’s content release schedule. Both campaign co-op and Forge were recently pushed back to November. And the once-promised split-screen mode for co-op was axed.
On the glass-half-full side of things, Forge is shaping up quite nicely. A recent video from 343 gave us a glimpse at what’s possible with the vastly expanded toolset coming in Forge.
Again, we wish Bonnie and her family the best. On the Halo front, not much will change in the near term. The Winter update (which includes campaign co-op and the Forge beta) is coming in November. Season 3 will follow in March. Past that, we know Certain Affinity is working on something related to Halo Infinite. Most of us think it’s a Battle Royale mode, but we’ll have to wait for official word.