Halo Infinite's head of design Jerry Hook leaves 343 Industries
"Thank you to all that have let me run alongside you in this amazing industry".
Jerry Hook, Halo Infinite's head of design, has announced his departure from 343 Industries.
"Today marks my last day at 343i, Microsoft and Halo," Hook wrote in a statement shared on Twitter. "This journey has been filled with creating new worlds, platforms and products from Xbox, Xbox Live to Halo. Most of all it has been working alongside some of the most passionate and driven people in the industry, that have impacted millions of players around the world."
"Thank you to all that have let me run alongside you in this amazing industry," Hook continued. "And thank you to this community."
Hook, who describes himself as an "Xbox Live founding veteran" in his Twitter bio, started his career at Microsoft back in 2003, where he served as lead program manager for commerce and accounts on Xbox Live. He would later take on an executive producer role, with credits on numerous 343-Industries-developed Halo titles including Halo 4 and Halo 5: Guardians.
Hook parted ways with Microsoft in 2015, joining Bungie to work on its Destiny franchise, but returned to the world of Halo and 343 Industries in 2018, taking on the role of Halo Infinite head of design in 2019. Hook is yet to share his future plans following his departure from the studio, only teasing "Next Saga coming soon" on his LinkedIn profile.
Hook's announcement follows a number of other high-profile departures from the Halo Infinite team in recent months. Multiplayer lead, Andrew Witts, left the studio in March, saying he wanted to "take some time off to relax and recharge", while the game's lead narrative designer Aaron Linde hung up his 343 hat in January to take a position at Riot Games.
Halo Infinite has had a bit of a bumpy journey following its launch toward the end of last year, with multiplayer fans increasingly voicing their frustration over an escalating number of issues - from a lack of content updates and a lacklustre seasonal battlepass offering, to ongoing concerns relating to the game's monetisation. 343 has pledged to improve matters on multiple occasions, and will be hoping Halo Infinite's recently launched Season 2 gets players back on-side - although Eurogamer's Vikki Blake remains unconvinced.