Glenn Israel, a 17-year veteran of Halo game development, announced his departure from the franchise in a surprising announcement that has fans concerned about the future of the flagship Xbox shooter series.
Originally an artist at Bungie in Israel, he eventually served as art director at 343 Studios (now Halo Studios), contributing to a long list of Halo projects, starting with 2009’s Halo 3: ODST and continuing through Halo: Reach, Halo 4, Halo 5, and Halo: Infinite.
Now, however, Israel has announced that it is “officially no longer contributing to the Halo universe” via a post on the site LinkedInand updated his profile to indicate that he left Halo Studios this month.
“As of today, after 17 long years, I am officially no longer involved in the Halo universe,” Israel wrote. “There’s not much else I can say for now, although I do intend to share this particular story in full next year when it’s completely safe to do so. In the meantime, I have a message for everyone who needs to hear it.
“I know the state of our industry seems terrible, but never forget that you have *freedom of choice*. No illusion of security or promise of wealth, fame or power is worth giving up your health, dignity, ethics and values - and no one can force you to do so. Stay powerful, gather evidence if necessary, and find your place.”
Needless to say, Israel’s announcement has caused concern and confusion among Halo fans at a time when the future of Microsoft’s once iconic franchise is far from certain.
Microsoft gaming chief Phil Spencer previously suggested that the new Halo project would launch in 2026, assuming that previously reported Halo: Combat Evolved remaster thanks to this, the series will appear on PlayStation for the first time.
Fans’ hopes are high with the much-publicized announcement coming later this month, with Halo Studios stating that it will “share more about what we’ve been working on” since revealing the first look at the series’ move to Unreal Engine 5 exactly one year ago.
With all this in mind, fans are now saying that the timing of Israel’s departure seems especially ominous as Halo Studios is on the verge of revealing its plans for the future of the series and just weeks after the quiet departure of Halo Studios chief of staff Melissa Boone.
Meanwhile, for Microsoft, which has had a tumultuous year marked by layoffs and growing fan dissatisfaction over price increases, Israel’s public announcement probably couldn’t have come at a worse time. Though perhaps even more disturbing is the developer’s announcement that a more detailed account will be released at a later date.
IGN has reached out to Microsoft for comment.
Tom Phillips is IGN’s news editor. You can contact Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social
