Kiki Wolfkill, who was in charge of Halo's expansion beyond games, including the television show streaming on Paramount Plus, has left 343 Industries. Although head of Xbox Phil Spencer has said that 343 Industries is a "critically important" studio for Halo's future, Wolfkill's departure continues the trend of worrying news to come out of it.
Despite its recognition in gaming circles and the general public, much of the news coming out that potentially affects the future of Halo has been concerning. The possibility that Microsoft could be considering moving on from Halo Infinite is one of the latest examples, as a new survey pointedly asks if the responder is done playing the game and also appears to gauge if 343 Industries has trust among the community to continue the franchise.
In another concerning development, executive director of the Halo television show, Kiki Wolfkill, has left 343 Industries. She has not left Microsoft altogether, as her next role will be in another position at the company, but she is now on a growing list of notable people leaving 343. Her new role at Microsoft has not been specified, so whether she continues to work in another game studio or is doing anything media related at all for the corporation is unknown.
What also has not been stated is her reason for departing the company. A potential reason for this is the divisive response met by some fans over how the show differs from the game. This can be argued however as the Halo show has been accepted by other parts of the audience and broadly by critics, with enough viewership that a second season is currently being filmed. Whether Wolfkill's departure from 343 Industries also means she has departed from the show is also unknown, as the report does not specify how production has been affected or how it will be affected in the future.
Although Phil Spencer insists that Halo has a future at 343 Industries, not much is being done to quell concerns over the studio's future. As part of Microsoft's initiative to cut 10,000 jobs, 343 has been facing rounds of layoffs, with the departure of high-profile members like campaign director Joe Staten being cause for concern. There is still the possibility that the studio will eventually recover from the losses of Staten, Wolfkill, and other people that had worked there but so far nothing has indicated this will be the case.
Halo Infinite is available now for PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
Source: WCCFTech