Xbox and Halo veteran Joseph Staten has officially announced his newest role at Netflix Games, where he’ll be working on a new “AAA multi-platform game and original IP”.
Staten announced his new role via his Twitter account, where he stated: “In my work life, there’s nothing I love more than collaborating with others to build worlds filled with iconic characters, deep mysteries, and endless adventures. So today, I’m thrilled to announce that I’ve joined Netflix Games as creative director for a brand-new AAA multi-platform game and original IP. Let’s go.” Joseph Staten is famously known for his work as a writer and cinematic director of the Halo series while it was still under the ownership of Bungie, which ended following the studio’s separation from Microsoft to work on the Destiny series.
Staten helped craft the universe and story of Halo, from its humble beginnings in Halo: Combat Evolved, all the way to the swan song that was Halo 3. He was also a key writer for the spin-off games Halo 3: ODST, Halo Reach, and Halo Wars - and he even wrote the fifth Halo book, Halo: Contact Harvest.
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More recently, Staten was a senior creative director at Xbox Game Publishing Studios since 2014, following his departure from Bungie, and also became the head of creative for Halo Infinite in 2020 during its rocky development history, from which it still hasn’t fully recovered from.
Staten announced his departure from the Halo Infinite team, as well as Microsoft, on 8 April, stating: “Hey folks, I am indeed leaving Microsoft. I'll have more info to share soon, but for now, I'd just like to thank all my Xbox colleagues for all their understanding and support as I embark on a new adventure.”
While details on the AAA game remain a mystery, it’s safe to say it’ll be one to keep an eye on when it’s announced, especially given Staten’s talent for writing expansive and intriguing stories and characters, and there could be a few subtle nods to his previous projects.
