Tom French, Halo Infinite‘s multiplayer creative director who has worked on the franchise for over 11 years, has left 343 Industries.
French announced the news on Twitter, saying he is off to “new adventures” but is so proud of his time working alongside Master Chief.
After over 11 1/2 years on Halo, I step out of my Spartan armor for the last time today to head off to new adventures. It’s been a massive honor to have been part of a game I loved so much as a player and admired so much as a developer. I couldn’t be more proud of my time at 343. pic.twitter.com/2CBD7kOPIj
— Tom French (@pardontomfrench) December 2, 2022
“After over 11 1/2 years on Halo, I step out of my Spartan armor for the last time today to head off to new adventures,” French said. “It’s been a massive honor to have been part of a game I loved so much as a player and admired so much as a developer. I couldn’t be more proud of my time at 343.”
French departs 343 Industries following Halo Infinite’s big Winter Update that added match and performance-based XP, the Forge Mode beta, the official launch of online campaign co-op and campaign replay, two new maps, a new battle pass, the Covert One Flag game mode, and more.
This Winter Update was a big moment for the studio and came with a promise that it will continue to address areas of feedback alongside focusing on shorter seasons, a more regular stream of content, and “bigger things to come.”
At launch, Halo Infinite launched with a controversial multiplayer progression system, but French and the team worked tirelessly to work on it and provide players with the multiplayer experience they so hoped for. While there is always work left to do, they’ve made great strides in making that so.
Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.
Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.