Halo 4 director quits due to no longer being ‘creatively excited’

By Matthew Bennett, Associate Editor
Posted on September 7, 2011 AT 01:50am

THE BUZZ: With Halo 4 a year away from release Microsoft and 343 Industries have seen a major part of the development team leave in the shape of Creative Director Ryan Payton.

Payton joined the Halo 4 team after his work on Metal Gear Solid 4 and put his decision of leaving down to not being “creatively excited” for the project anymore. He told Kotaku;

“I had a great run at Microsoft, I don’t regret one day of it. But after a few years, there came a point where I wasn’t creatively excited about the project anymore.”

“The Halo I wanted to build was fundamentally different and I don’t think I had built enough credibility to see such a crazy endeavor through,”

He was very clear that his decision had nothing to do with the quality of game and was just a personal choice.

EGM’s TAKE: Losing such an important team member just one year from launch is going to be a big blow however I’m sure 343 are prepared and will be able to deliver the quality of game that we are all expecting.

Matthew Bennett has only been covering the gaming world for a short while, but he’s eager to make his mark. An ability to go many hours without sleep and a quick wit make him ideal for his role as associate editor at EGMNOW.com. He often thinks back to the days when the very idea of this career seemed like nothing but an impossible dream. Follow him on Twitter @mattyjb89. Meet the rest of the crew.

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