Microsoft confirms departure of veteran Halo developer, Frank O’Connor

After spending two decades with the Halo series, Frank O’Connor, the longtime franchise director, has departed, as confirmed by Xbox in a statement to Axios. Microsoft expressed gratitude towards O’Connor for his significant contributions to the Halo franchise and wished him the best in his future endeavors.

Fans began to speculate about O’Connor’s departure when they noticed that his LinkedIn profile no longer listed him as a Microsoft employee. O’Connor first joined Bungie as a content manager in late 2003, where he wrote the Bungie Weekly Update. After Bungie split from Microsoft in 2008, he joined Microsoft Studios, allowing him to continue working with the franchise. O’Connor was a well-known 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 eventually rose to the role of development director on Halo 5 and Halo Infinite, often serving as a spokesperson for the franchise.

O’Connor’s departure follows Joseph Staten, who joined Halo Infinite in 2020 to prepare the troubled project for launch. Staten announced that he is leaving to lead the development of a AAA game at Netflix Games. As for O’Connor, his next destination remains unknown, as his last tweet was in January, and he gave no indication of leaving Microsoft.

With much of the old guard departing Halo and Halo Infinite struggling to meet its high expectations, the future of the franchise is unclear.