Halo franchise director Frank O’Connor appears to have left Microsoft

Update: Microsoft has confirmed the latest in a series of senior Halo departures

It appears that Halo‘s franchise director, Frank O’Connor, has left Microsoft.

As spotted by Windows Central, O’Connor’s LinkedIn page was recently updated to state that his role at the creative director on Xbox’s flagship shooter series ended this month.

It also lists him as starting a new full-time role as a franchise creative director elsewhere in March.

Microsoft has yet to officially confirm if O’Connor has left the company, but VGC has contacted the platform holder for comment.

Update19th Apr 2023 / 3:34 pm

Microsoft has confirmed O’Connor’s departure in a statement provided to VGC.

“We thank Frank for his numerous contributions to the Halo franchise and wish him well going forward,” a company spokesperson said.

O’Connor has worked on the Halo series since 2004. He was a writer and community manager at Bungie until the studio split from Microsoft to make Destiny, when he chose to join the Xbox maker and work with its new Halo studio 343 Industries.

Should O’Connor’s departure from Microsoft be confirmed, his exit will be the latest in a recent series of high-level departures from the Halo team.

Among others, last year 343 Industries lost multiplayer creative director Tom French, its director of engineering David Berger, art director Nicolas Bouvier, head of design Jerry Hook, lead multiplayer designer Andrew Witts, and Bonnie Ross, who was the studio head for 15 years.

Last week, it was also confirmed that Halo veteran Joseph Staten was leaving Microsoft. His departure will mark the end of a second nine-year spell at the company, where he recently served as head of creative on Halo Infinite at 343.

In January, Microsoft announced plans to layoff over 10,000 employees, a move which hit its video game business across both Xbox and Bethesda.