Frank O'Connor, Halo franchise director, has left Microsoft

O'Connor has been with the Halo franchise since it was with Bungie, and it appears that his time with the series--and Microsoft--is done.

[Vengeance1138]

Yet another nail in the Halo franchise coffin. Even Microsoft themselves moved on from the IP after replacing it with Starfield on console boxes.

[Lifexline]

This is actually a good thing halo fans have wanted Frank and Bonnie gone from 343 so hopefully things get better with them gone.

[Godmars290]

Weren't they brought in to fix what 343 has been doing?

[SullysCigar]

Nah, Frank was OG, from back in the days when Halo was good, before 343i came along. What the franchise needs is: 1. a substantial rest, 2. a reboot and 3. a decent pool of the original team that made the magic in the early days.

Only then will they have a chance at having anyone give a crap again. Frank leaving is not a good start on that journey.

[InUrFoxHole]

@God
Yeah Frank was but from my understanding that was it for him. Fix that sh!t show and move on

[-Mika-]

Microsoft has COD now. They no longer need Halo. 343 Is going through a complete reboot and getting rid of the old and bringing in the new. The Halo franchise is getting a complete reboot to appeal to a new generation of fans. I expect to see a new game by the end of the next gen Xbox.

[Vengeance1138]

Doesn't your end statement counter your first? You expect to see a new Halo game by the end of the next gen Xbox that as you say MS doesn't need? I wouldn't expect to ever see another Halo game again if its not needed.

[-Mika-]

What I meant to say is that there is no longer any urgency. MS used to release a Halo mainline or spinoff every year or two. They used to make sure there was Halo at the start of every console launch. I no longer see them doing that. Now, they are not going to abandon it because the series still has a lot of value. I expect a new Mainline title by the mid or end of the next Xbox.

[derek]

@Mika, Why not both? Managing you most important ip thus far would only be bolstered by add cod to your portfolio.

[Lightning77]

Because Halo isn't carrying Xbox to a new gen like they always have in the past like you said. That, Forza and Gears games. The Forza Creative Director left to make a new studio The Coalition took a hiatus to learn Unreal Engine 5 and will return to Gears at some point (rumor is they did return to Gears but still years away from release)

MS Trifecta is getting old and tired I mean that from a studio point of view of the only studios carrying the Xbox every gen. Once MS employed new studios to help develop games for the console, old studio heads and leads are all going there sesperate ways.

It's what happens when you have the same 4 or 5 studios for years on end. Burn out.

[BehindTheRows]

CoD is remaining multiplatform. Besides, you don’t abandon a high profile property just because of an impending acquisition. That’s…. not how business works. At all.

Halo just needs a new shot in the arm to get it going again.

[BandarHub]

Its actually a nail removed from Halo's Coffin.
If you know who this person is you would agree that he should have left the studio after Halo 5

[XiNatsuDragnel]

Good luck with your future endeavors

[FallenAngel1984]

Another bites the dust

[IamTylerDurden1]

Fallout of a failed game. Your TGA player's choice goty 87 meta lol. Idgaf. Dreams was great yet it failed and the director left. That's what happens. Halo was average from the jump yet showered with praise. Now many hate the game. Funny.

[porkChop]

The gameplay, mechanics, and feel of Halo Infinite are top notch. That's why everyone praised it initially. It was with the expectation that 343 would keep a steady stream of content and updates coming to keep the game alive, which 343 failed miserably at.

[slate91]

This is a good thing for Halo

[TheColbertinator]

Maybe a new developer could handle Halo better going forward. If possible perhaps Infinity Ward could helm a Halo game in the future.

[Sgt_Slaughter]

Any dev could do better at this point. Halo 4, Halo 5, MCC, and Halo Infinite all had a ton of technical issues and bad creative decisions, and there has never been any indication of improvement. MCC was broken for more than half a decade before they even attempted to fix it, and even after the biggest update to a game ever, it still wasn't fully fixed (and those games weren't even broken to begin with, they broken nearly perfect games outside of 4).

[thesoftware730]

I think some of these are people being respectfully let go.

No one really ever gets "Fired" in gaming...its always a time to move on situation.

[Phoenix029]

I know it wouldn’t happen but imagine if after the merger they allowed Activision to create a Halo game.

[ZwVw]

Didn't he approve of and give the Godawful Halo TV(Paramount +) series his full blessings? Good riddance.

[Hofstaderman]

Whoa at this point its an exodus. You can only lose so many people in order for a development team to lose its core essence. Might be a good thing as Halo in its current state is not the juggernaut it once was.

[Ninver]

Can't catch a break. Let's see how the IP turns out

[BandarHub]

I find it hilarious that people are saying that it is doom and gloom for Halo.
Their main parties Boonie ross, Kiki Wolfkill and Frank o Conor have left...I you have been keeping up with Halo for a long time now you would know that these three are irresponsible of a lot of bad decision at the Studio.

[gold_drake]

its not surprising.
after the disaster the last halo was.

wish him the best tho

[sadraiden]

Maybe we can go a while without a new Halo. Allow Microsoft to regroup, focus more on some new original IPs, come back in 5 years with a banger of an announcement trailer for a completely reworked Halo that checks all the boxes. Gamers will rejoice and Xbox can actually attract gamers to their platform once the GP plateau hits.