Halo Producer Kiki Wolfkill Reportedly out at Xbox

A number of major changes are happening at Xbox developer 343 Industries, and it seems that could extend to the head of Halo transmedia, as well. While no official announcement has been made, it appears that Kiki Wolfkill may no longer be at 343 Industries. She has not publicly addressed that departure, and neither has Xbox, but as reported by Video Games Chronicle, her LinkedIn profile says that she left 343 Industries at some point in the month of January. In addition to working on the Halo games, Wolfkill was also closely involved with the Halo series on Paramount+, serving as a producer.

The Halo franchise is in a strange position at the moment, and the future is quite uncertain. Halo Infinite launched in late 2021 to strong reviews, but overall perception towards the game began to shift throughout 2022. Fans began to grow impatient with waiting for new content, with updates coming at a slower pace than many had hoped. Meanwhile, the Halo streaming series found a lot of success on Paramount+, but many fans were unhappy with the show's deviations from the source material.

The original Halo released as a launch title for Xbox back in 2001, and the franchise has been incredibly important to Microsoft ever since. The series was originally developed by Bungie. In 2007, Bungie announced its departure from Microsoft, and 343 Industries was created for the purpose of developing new games in the series. Wolfkill joined 343 Industries in 2008, first serving as an executive producer on Halo 4, and then filled the same role on Halo: The Master Chief Collection. In 2014, Wolfkill took on her most recent role.

If Wolfkill really has left 343 Industries, it will be interesting to see what impact this has on Halo as a franchise. A second season for the Halo TV series is currently in development at Paramount+, and filming began last September. Hopefully Microsoft won't keep fans waiting too long before an official announcement is made about Wolfkill's role, or her potential successor at 343 Industries.

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