Halo Infinite Lead Narrative Designer Joins Riot Games

Yesterday, ComicBook.com reported that Halo Infinite lead narrative designer Aaron Linde had left developer 343 Industries, and at the time, Linde had not announced exactly where he was going next. Hours later, however, Linde did finally reveal where exactly he was heading in 2022: League of Legends and Valorant developer Riot Games.

More specifically, Linde now lists his position as senior narrative writer at Riot R&D, the research and development arm of Riot Games dedicated to incubating new video games and ideas. In other words, it's unclear exactly what Linde might actually be working on at Riot Games at this point. You can check out Linde's announcement of his new position for yourself below, and it's honestly worth the watch:

"Bittersweet news to report: I'm departing 343 Industries to pursue a new opportunity in 2022," Linde previously shared over on Twitter at the end of December. "It was a terrifically difficult decision; Halo Infinite will remain one of the proudest achievements of my career for the rest of my life. I'm so grateful to have been a part of it."

"I want to thank my dear colleagues at 343 for making the best game I've ever worked on, our incredible voice cast for elevating our work in every single line delivery, and our players for joining us on this wild-ass journey," Linde continued. "You made 2021 an incredibly special year for me."  

Prior to working at 343 Industries, Linde had notably served as lead writer on Gearbox Software's Battleborn as well as a lead writer and narrative designer at ArenaNet. Just before moving to 343 Industries, Linde was a senior writer at Bungie on Destiny 2. It remains to be seen exactly which game -- or games, plural -- Linde's name will show up in next. As for Riot Games, you can check out all of our previous coverage of the popular developer right here.

What do you think of Linde leaving 343 Industries for Riot R&D? Are you looking forward to seeing whatever it is he works on next? Let us know in the comments, or feel free to reach out and hit me up directly over on Twitter at @rollinbishop to talk about all things gaming!