Halo, which is the product of Bungie, was sold to Microsoft as part of the agreement of Bungie parting ways with Microsoft as its first major Xbox studios and to house everything for Master Chief’s world, Microsoft created 343 Industries and then began the Xbox Game Studios family.

Unfortunately, nothing lasts forever and 343 Industries founder and leader, Bonnie Ross, has announced that she is leaving the studio to focus on a Family Health Issue.

This happens in moments where the latest entry of Halo, Halo Infinite as a soft-reboot of the franchise is facing some headwinds in development and the Winter Update was the recent steps on correcting things for a unsatisfied gaming community and Halo longtime fans.

Bonnie Ross career at technology started with her first professional stint at IBM and shortly joining Microsoft, where she oversaw the port of PC of various games and was directly involved in the development of Microsoft Full Court Press, released in 1996 as her first job after taking a break from Technical Writing for Microsoft.

The success of the game led her to also be involved in the development of Zoo Tycoon, Fuzion Frenzy, Jade Empire, Mass Effect, Psychonauts, Gears of War, Alan Wake, and Crackdown in roles such as lead or executive producer, and studio head.

Finally in 2005, she began leading today’s Xbox Game Studios (by then known as Microsoft Game Game Studios) when Xbox 360 was beginning the next round for Xbox on his second generation of life and lead the transaction of Halo becoming an IP for Microsoft after Bungie decided to go independent by 2007 and founding 343 Industries.

Of course, unrelated thing but this is happening in a particularly bad time for Halo Infinite as part of the setbacks that the game has been mounting since early development and post-launch in 2020.

Microsoft confirmed that 343 Industries Head Of Product, Pierre Hintze, will take over as the new leader of the studio.