Josh Holmes, the studio head of Halo developer 343 Industries, is moving on from the studio and the Halo franchise.
Holmes provides an explanation for his departure on the Halo Waypoint site, stating that he will still be making games, but now he will be an independent developer.
“I have loved every moment here on Halo but I find myself drawn to new horizons. This month I’m leaving 343 Industries and excited for my next adventure to pursue independent game development.”
With Holmes leaving, Chris Lee will be taking over for him. Lee was previously the head of production on both Halo 4 and Halo 5: Guardians.
With regards to Lee, Holmes says “He is a tremendous leader and Halo is in great hands with him.”
Lee also has some words to say about the transition: “As a long-time Halo fan, it is a tremendous honor to now lead such an amazing FPS development team. Josh has been a great friend and leader during the last 7+ years, and we wish him all the best in his indie efforts. Our team is fortunate to have a strong leadership core that has worked together on Halo 4 and Halo 5: Guardians, spending countless days, nights, and weekends dedicated to making games that pay homage to Halo’s legacy, while continuing to move it forward.”
No word yet on whether Holmes will be starting a studio of his own or what type of games he will be making, so we’ll just have to wait and see what he ends up doing.