Game developers that manage to stay with a single franchise over an extended period of time are rare and theHalofranchise is a perfect example of why. TheHaloseries has had its ups and downs, even moving from Bungie to 343 Industries over a decade ago.Halodesigner Paul Bertone has had a more unique path than most. He rode out Bungie’s tenure under Microsoft and then left beforeDestiny’s release. Yet, having gone full circle, Bertone is coming home toHaloand joining 343.A message from Joseph Staten,Halo Infinite’s head of creative, confirmed on Wednesday that Paul Bertone was now a part of 343 Industries. Bertone will be taking on an important role within the company as its Studio Technical Design Director, ensuring that his vision for thefuture ofHalowill be just as influential as his work onHalo’s past.RELATED:Halo Infinite Campaign Co-Op Coming With Big RestrictionFor those unfamiliar, Paul Bertone was a key player in Bungie during the development of the originalHalotrilogy and beyond. He served as a designer forHalo: Combat Evolved, was promoted to Lead Mission Designer forHalo 2, then to Lead Campaign Designer forHalo 3, and then Design Director forHalo 3: ODST. He also received a tip of the cap for his work onHalo: Reachfor design work. Needless to say, he’s a part of what madeHalothe success it is today.
AfterHalo, however, Bertone’s life when in a surprising direction. He left Bungie in 2012, two years before the release ofDestiny. Between 2012 and 2022, he went from working at Industrial Toys to self-employed, fromUndead Labsto Probably Monsters, back to self-employed and then to Highwire Games where he was Lead Designer on the controversialSix Days in Fallujah. Now, ten years after he left Bungie, he’s joining 343 Industries.
Few could argue Bertone’s experience, but this will certainly be his biggest role in game development yet. It’s yet to be seen whethercontroversies surroundingSix Days in Fallujahwill follow the game’s developers beyond. It’s tentatively planned for release later this year. There are also controversies surrounding 343 itself, particularly regarding the handling ofHalo Infinite. Bertone has his work cut out for him.
One interesting aspect of Bertone’s hiring may be what 343 Industries is working on next. Support forHalo Infiniteis obvious, but Bertone’sHaloexperience is rather deeply rooted in the series' campaigns. It’s perhaps a coincidence that there are reports of 343 working on a new campaign forHalo Infiniteto be released as DLCor an expansion in the years to come. Needless to say,Halofans will be watching and waiting.
Halo Infiniteis available now on PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
