Paul Bertone, a veteran of Bungie from May 2000 through January 2012, has joined 343 Industries. Officially as a Technical Design Director, Bertone is once again working on the Halo franchise.
Joseph Staten, Head of Creative for Halo Infinite, welcomed Bertone back to the Halo franchise in a tweet.
“I’m happy to confirm Halo veteran Paul Bertone has joined the team as Studio Technical Design Director,” it reads. “Paul and I met in 1999, back in Bungie’s Chicago days, and then shipped Halo 1-3, ODST and Reach together. I’m thrilled to have Paul help lead the future of Halo Infinite.”
According to his LinkedIn profile, Paul Bertone has had several positions in the industry, including at Highwire Games and Undead Labs.
Bertone’s return to the Halo franchise comes at a pivotal moment. Co-op for Halo Infinite still hasn’t been launched; a test flight is coming this month. There’s no word on when Forge will be released. The activate player count on Steam continues to trend downwards.
The initial reaction online seems to be mixed. Reddit comments believe that the return of Paul Bertone is 343 trying to re-capture the magic by hiring former Bungie developers. Twitter responses are more optimistic, however.
Staten has been working as the Head of Creative for Halo Infinite since September 2020. That’s only a handful of months before its original release date. Thanks to both Staten and Paul Bertone, there’s a chance we’ll see a turnaround for Halo: Infinite. It will probably be a while before we see the fruits of their labor.
For more Halo: Infinite, check out our ranking of the Halo: Infinite weapons list for multiplayer, every multiplayer map ranked from worst to best, and our full review as well. We liked our time with Halo: Infinite but also acknowledged that it’s missing some core features.
