Josh Daniels, a cinematic director at Halo Studios was laid off just days after receiving a promotion.
The timing looks brutal. It most likely comes down to how big companies work.
Promotions are usually decided by mid-level managers during regular review cycles. These are often approved weeks or months before they take effect. Layoffs are planned very differently. A small group of senior executives, finance staff, lawyers, and HR people handle them in secret.
This means the manager who pushed for the promotion may have had no idea the role was about to be cut. The people doing the promoting would not be the same as those doing the firing and would have no knowledge of what is coming.
A studio in the middle of a reset
Halo Studios was known as 343 Industries until October 2024. Microsoft created 343 to take over Halo after Bungie left the series. The studio went on to make Halo 4, Halo 5: Guardians, Halo Infinite, and The Master Chief Collection.
It’s not yet known if the cinematic director’s role will be filled again, merged with another job, or removed for good.
