— Tom French (@pardontomfrench) December 2, 2022 The news of French’s departure from 343 Industries was shared on Twitter. In his farewell statement, he made it quite apparent that it had been an honor for him to be a member of the team that was responsible for the creation of games inside a franchise that he adores very much. This indicates that there were no conflicts within the company between French and the rest of the management team, but that the director was simply ready for new challenges. While this is what appears to be the case, we have no way of knowing for sure what the real intention was. We don’t know the real reason because employee departures have recently become somewhat of a trend for 343 Industries. Earlier this year, we’ve already witnessed the departures of Bonnie Ross, co-founder, and CEO of 343 Industries, and David Berger, chief developer of the Slipspace Engine used in Halo Infinite. It is assumed that the Season 3 road map played a role in this, given most people left once it was released, but this is again unconfirmed. After French’s departure, there is no official news as to who will take over his duties. As for Tom himself, he has had a fantastic career with the studio, beginning with his role as a mission designer for Halo 4. However, it was his role as the User-Generated Content Lead for Halo 5: Guardians that garnered the most attention from fans. He is also credited with defining the vision for Halo 5’s take on the franchise’s Forge mode, and he rapidly became a beloved public figure as the revisions and additions to the title garnered tremendous reviews universally. In addition, he is also credited with establishing the concept for Halo 5’s Combat Evolved mode. In the years that followed, he served as Halo Infinite’s multiplayer creative lead, where he conceived of and developed the game’s innovative “free-to-win” multiplayer functionality. While Tom’s 11.5 years of service have been invaluable, they have come to an end, and it is undeniable that he will be missed. Whoever takes up his job, will surely have huge shoes to fill.
