Frank O’Connor is the latest longtime Halo developer to depart the series, with Xbox confirming to Axios in a statement that the longtime franchise director has departed after two decades with the series.
“We thank Frank for his numerous contributions to the Halo franchise and wish him well going forward,” Microsoft said in a statement.
Rumors of O’Connor’s departure began when fans noted a Linkedin update showing that he was no longer with the company. He began as a content manager for Bungie in late 2003, where he wrote the Bungie Weekly Update. He joined Microsoft Studios in 2008, which allowed him to stay with the franchise even after Bungie split.
Microsoft confirms the departure of longtime Halo franchise director Frank O’Connor, who worked on Master Chief’s games for two decades: “We thank Frank for his numerous contributions to the Halo franchise and wish him well going forward.”
— Stephen Totilo (@stephentotilo) April 17, 2023
He was a familiar figure among Halo fans, appearing in Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn as Beamish the Janitor and co-authoring Halo: Evolutions – Essential Tales of the Halo Universe. He subsequently rose to the role of development director on Halo 5 and Halo Infinite, frequently serving as a spokeperson for the franchise.
His departure follows on the heels of Joseph Staten, who joined Halo Infinite in 2020 in an effort to get the troubled project ready for launch. Staten announced today that he is joining Netflix Games to lead the development of a AAA game.
Frank O’Connor in the Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn webseries. Photo credit: IMDB.
As for O’Connor, his next destination is currently unclear. O’Connor’s last tweet was in January, and he offered no hints of leaving Microsoft.
Wherever he ends up, it seems that much of the old guard has left Halo, and with Halo Infinite struggling to meet its high expectations, it’s unclear where the series will go next.
Kat Bailey is a Senior News Editor at IGN as well as co-host of Nintendo Voice Chat. Have a tip? Send her a DM at @the_katbot.