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Joseph Staten to leave Xbox Publishing & Halo Head of Creative position

Staten stated that he is exiting Microsoft entirely and moving on to a 'new adventure.'

TJ Denzer

April 10, 2023 12:40 PM

Image via Xbox Game Studios

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Joseph Staten has been a regular face around the Halo franchise since the first games, but it would appear that time is coming to an official end. Staten was at Microsoft working as a lead of Xbox Publishing, as well as a Head of Creative on the Halo franchise, but he recently announced that he would be exiting Microsoft altogether, leaving both positions open.

Staten announced his exit from Microsoft and Halo via his personal Twitter, alongside an IGN report that went up on April 7, 2023. Originally, IGN reported a statement from a Microsoft spokesperson sharing original word of Staten’s exit.

“We’re grateful for Joseph’s contributions to the Halo franchise and Xbox as a whole,” Microsoft told IGN in its statement. "We wish him all the best in his new adventure.”

Staten would go on to share his own words on top of that.

“I am indeed leaving Microsoft,” Staten wrote. “I'll have more info to share soon, but for now, I'd just like to thank all my Xbox colleagues for all their understanding and support as I embark on a new adventure.”

Joseph Staten was wrangled into Xbox Publishing and Game Studios back in 2020 when Halo Infinite was still in development. He was the previous cinematic director on the first three Halo games and stayed as a lead up until Bungie moved onto Destiny. With Halo Infinite, Staten assisted on the campaign and eventually helped launch the full game as the Halo franchise Head of Creative. Ultimately, it paid off at first as Halo Infinite enjoyed solid reviews on its initial offering of free-to-play multiplayer and single-player campaign, including here at Shacknews. However, the game has had a rollercoaster ride of success and shortcomings in following seasons since.

Either way, whatever happens next for Staten, it seems he’s not done in games yet. With some kind of “new adventure” ahead, we’ll follow up with more details as they become available.

TJ Denzer

Senior News Editor

TJ Denzer is a player and writer with a passion for games that has dominated a lifetime. He found his way to the Shacknews roster in late 2019 and has worked his way to Senior News Editor since. Between news coverage, he also aides notably in livestream projects like the indie game-focused Indie-licious, the Shacknews Stimulus Games, and the Shacknews Dump. You can reach him at tj.denzer@shacknews.com and also find him on Twitter @JohnnyChugs.