Halo Studio Head Leaving to Work on Indie Projects

Josh Holmes, the studio head at Halo developer 343 Industries, is leaving the studio after seven years. In a blog post today, Holmes announced he's leaving 343 to work on independent games.

"I have loved every moment here on Halo but I find myself drawn to new horizons," he said. "This month I'm leaving 343 Industries and excited for my next adventure to pursue independent game development." Holmes did not provide any specifics about his next projects, like whether or not he's starting his own studio, working for another, or doing something else.

Taking over for Holmes will be Chris Lee, who was head of production for Halo 4 and Halo 5: Guardians. "Chris has played a key role in the studio since our inception. He is a tremendous leader and Halo is in great hands with him," Holmes said.

In his own statement, Lee said: "I am excited to continue shaping the future of this legendary franchise alongside our FPS team and the community that I love. Pretty soon we'll talk more about our next, free content update for Halo 5: Guardians and Halo 5: Forge."

This DLC will include new Warzone maps and more--watch a teaser for it here.

Bonnie Ross, 343's general manager, said Holmes has been an "instrumental leader" for the Halo brand during his seven years at the studio. "I wanted to thank him for everything he has done for us and the Halo franchise, and I wish him the best of luck on his next adventure," she said.

You can read the full blog post announcing the personnel changes here.

No new entries in the mainline Halo series have been announced, though Halo 6 has been strongly hinted at. In other news, Halo Wars 2 is slated to come out in February.