Halo Infinite lead writer leaves 343 Industries to join Riot Games
One of Halo Infinite's lead writers, Aaron Linde, has announced he is leaving developer 343 Industries to join industry rival, Riot Games.
If you liked the peculiar girlfriend/mum narrative that Halo Infinite spun with long-time franchise mascot Master Chief and his AI companion, you may want to keep tabs on where Aaron Linde (one of the game's main writers) is off to next.
Linde, who has racked up a number of high-profile writing credits in his career to date, is credited as the lead narrative designer on Halo Infinite – which boasted a campaign our own Alex thought was 'the ultimate solo Halo experience.
But just as the latest Halo game starts to really gain momentum after its release at the end of 2021, Linde has announced he'll be moving on from 343 Industries to "pursue a new opportunity in 2022".
"Bittersweet news to report: I'm departing 343 Industries to pursue a new opportunity in 2022. 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," he says in a thread on Twitter.
"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. You made 2021 an incredibly special year for me."In his bio, Linde notes that he is now senior narrative writer at Riot R&D – the developer's secretive arm of development dedicated to exploring new genres, gameplay experiences and projects. Hmm.
Linde has previously worked on shooters, for the most part – Battleborn, Gears of War 3 and Halo Infinite headline his portfolio. Could he be working on something similar at Riot, then? It remains to be seen. Don't expect to hear about anything soon, though.
Here's hoping Linde won't be subjected to Riot's (now infamous) company culture that recently lead to to the company agree on a settlement of a class-action lawsuit against the company regarding gender discrimination that cost the studio $100 million in damages.