The 17-year Halo veteran sent an ominous message about not abandoning his “morals or values” after leaving the franchise, promising to “do so next year when it's absolutely safe” and promising to explain more, sparking concern among fans
Blog Andrew Joseph 10 Oct , 2025 0
Glenn Israel, Veteran 17 years faint The shocking news from a game developer who has announced his exit from the series has fans worried about the future of Xbox's flagship shooter series.
Israel started as an artist at Bungie and later served as art director at 343 Studios (now Halo Studios), where he contributed to a range of Halo projects, from 2009's Halo 3: ODST to Halo: Reach, Halo 4, Halo 5 and Halo Infinite.
Now, however, Israel has adopted LinkedInand updated his profile to indicate that he is leaving Halo Studios this month.
“As of today, 17 years later, I am officially no longer contributing to the Halo universe,” Israel wrote. “I have nothing to say at this time, but I plan to share this special story in its entirety next year when it is absolutely safe to do so. In the meantime, I have a message for anyone who needs to hear it.
“I know the current state of our industry seems terrible, but never forget, you have the 'freedom to choose'. Any illusion of security, promise of wealth, fame or power is not worth sacrificing your health, dignity, morals or values - no one can force you to do so. Stay strong, take evidence when necessary, and find where you belong.”
Needless to say, Israel's announcement caused concern and confusion among Halo fans at a time when the future of Microsoft's once-iconic franchise is far from certain.
Microsoft game boss Phil Spencer has previously said that the new Halo project will launch in 2026, which is expected to be Previously reported Halo: Combat Evolved Remastered The series will also be available on PlayStation for the first time.
Fans have high expectations for the game High-profile announcement coming later this month Halo Studios says it will “share more about what we've been working on” First look at the series' transition to Unreal Engine 5 Exactly one year ago.
However, with all of this in mind, fans are now saying that the timing of Israel's departure seems particularly ominous, as Halo Studios is about to reveal its plans for the future of the series, just weeks after Halo Studios chief of staff Melissa Boone quietly departed.
Meanwhile, Israel's public announcement could come at the right time for Microsoft, which has endured a tumultuous year with layoffs and growing fan dissatisfaction over price increases. Perhaps more concerning, though, is the developer's statement that a more detailed account will be shared later.
IGN has reached out to Microsoft for comment.
Tom Phillips is IGN's news editor. You can contact Tom at [email protected] or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social