While the Halo franchise is remembered as a foundational and iconic series for the medium, many would agree that its best are behind it. The original trilogy was widely beloved, and some of the subsequent titles like ODST and Reach also managed to pull at the heart strings of loyalists, but post-Bungie development has been uncharacteristic of the originals.
This hasn’t been helped constant behind-the-scenes shake-ups that has seemingly led to a lack of cohesion in development.
To add further fuel to the fire, veteran art director of the series, Glenn Israel, whose 17-year Halo career has seen him work under at Bungie, 343 Studios and Halo Studios, recently announced his departure with an ominous message that has many speculating about the nature of this exit.
Fortunately, Israel promises an update in the future.
Why Did Glenn Israel Step Leave Halo?
Posting on LinkedIn, Israel explained the exit in the following terms:
“As of today and after seventeen long years, I am officially no longer contributing to the Halo universe. There is little more I can say for the moment, though I intend to share this particular story in its entirety when it is absolutely safe to do so next year. In the meantime, I have a message for anyone and everyone who needs to hear it.
“I know that the state of our industry seems dire, but never forget that you are *free to choose*. No illusion of security nor promise of wealth or fame or power is worth trading away your health, your dignity, your ethics or values – and no one can force you to. Stay strong, take evidence when necessary, and find where you belong.
“As always, I’ll be here if you need to talk.”
What Does This Mean For Halo’s Future?
Audiences can do little but speculate until Israel divulges his reasons in full. However, judging by the use of language in the second paragraph, the departure could well have arisen from a dispute between Israel – and perhaps the creative team as a whole – and the higher ups either at Halo Studios or Microsoft.
This could have had something to do with the direction of the games themselves, such as going in an increasingly monetised direction, or perhaps related to the wider workplace ethics.
The fact that Israel acknowledges that others in the industry might find themselves in this same vague but difficult-sounding situation – and that he says he’s available to talk – makes it sound like a universal issue in the industry.
He mentions the illusory promise of security granted to people in this situation as something transactional to make them change their position on certain issues they might feel strongly about – a known imbalance of power that the increasing presence of unions in the games industry might be hoping to address.
Is There a New Halo Game Coming Out?
A Halo battle-royale project was cancelled in 2024 and Microsoft has recently announced its plans to update audiences on the future of the series.
