O'Connor worked on Halo since 2004.

A Microsoft spokesperson confirmed that Halo's franchise director, Frank O'Connor, has left Microsoft. The confirmation from Microsoft comes shortly after initial reporting from Windows Central where they noted that O'Connor's LinkedIn page showed he was no longer working at Microsoft or 343 Industries.

Microsoft's statement about O'Connor's departure was very short. They say, "We thank Frank for his numerous contributions to the Halo franchise and wish him well going forward." This was Microsoft's full statement as shared by Stephen Totilo.

O'Connor started with Halo back in 2004 while working at Bungie. He stuck with Bungie until 2008 when he went to Microsoft. At Microsoft, O'Connor was the franchise creative director for Halo and oversaw 343 Industries. He was also an executive producer on the Halo TV series.

The senior management working on the Halo franchise has taken an absolute beating over the past several months. First, 343 founder Bonnie Ross stepped down from her position in September 2022. 2022 also saw the departure of the lead multiplayer designer, lead narrative designer, and multiplayer creative director from 343 Industries. More recently, Joseph Staten left Microsoft and then almost immediately signed on with Netflix Gaming.

These departures also coincide with mass layoffs that hit Microsoft that began back in January 2023. Microsoft started to layoff 10,000 employees across all areas, including their gaming studios.

O'Connor's role at Microsoft is being taken over by Corrinne Robinson. Robinson has been working on the Halo franchise since 2009. Robinson has been a franchise manager on Halo for about nine years now.

There is no word on what O'Connor will do now that he's officially left Microsoft. There is certainly a chance that we will end up seeing some news in a week or two about how he is now working on a new project at Netflix Gaming, but it's impossible to say for sure at present.