343 Industries loses another experienced dev as Halo game designer David Ellis leaves studio after 13 years
Experienced game designer David Ellis is another developer to leave 343 Industries after working on the Halo franchise for more than a decade. This comes a few months after the studio’s restructuring and the departure of other veteran employees.
Ellis announced his departure on Twitter, saying that June 2 was his last day at 343 Industries (thanks, Game Developer).
“Being a part of every Halo shooter since Reach was a dream come true, but after more than a decade with the Chief, I’m ready for a different challenge,” he wrote, promising to share details about the next chapter of his career soon.
BIG NEWWS! After 13+ years(!), Friday was my last day at 343 and @Halo. Being a part of every Halo shooter since Reach was a dream come true, but after more than a decade with the Chief, I’m ready for a different challenge. Stay tuned, I‘ll be sharing what’s next soon. pic.twitter.com/5QI5pMcgv1
— David Ellis (@DavidEllis) June 5, 2023
Prior to joining Microsoft, Ellis spent around three years in video game media such as 1Up.com and Electronic Gaming Monthly (EGM).
He has been with 343 Industries since March 2010, initially serving as a content producer and hosting the 343 Sparkast. During the past 11 years, Ellis has worked as a game designer and senior game designer on campaign and multiplayer modes for Halo 4, Halo 5, and Halo: Infinite.
How many developers have already left 343 Industries?
Since October 2020, 343 Industries has lost a number of key employees:
- Former studio head Chris Lee, who oversaw the development of Halo Infinite and currently serves as the Head of Immersive Technologies at Amazon Web Services;
- Art director Nicolas Bouvier, who has worked on the Halo franchise for almost 14 years and currently works at Tencent’s new AAA studio Team Kaiju;
- Head of design Jerry Hook, who spent over 20 years at both Microsoft and 343 Industires;
- Technical director David Berger, who was one of the lead creators of the Slipspace Engine;
- Lead multiplayer designer Andrew Witts;
- Lead writer Aaron Linde;
- 343 Industries founder Bonnie Ross, who cited a “family medical issue” as the main reason for her departure;
- Creative director Joseph Staten, who worked both at Bungie and 343 Industries and helped finalize the vision for Halo Infinite’s single-player campaign and multiplayer mode.
On top of that, Microsoft announced its decision to cut 10,000 jobs in January, including people working at its gaming divisions. Shortly after, 343 Industries studio head Pierre Hintze told staff that the company will “restructure elements of our team, which means some roles are being eliminated.”
