Linde, who has racked up a number of high-profile writing credits in his career to date, is credited as the lead narrative designer on Halo Infinite – which boasted a campaign our own Alex thought was ’the ultimate solo Halo experience. But just as the latest Halo game starts to really gain momentum after its release at the end of 2021, Linde has announced he’ll be moving on from 343 Industries to “pursue a new opportunity in 2022”. “Bittersweet news to report: I’m departing 343 Industries to pursue a new opportunity in 2022. It was a terrifically difficult decision; Halo Infinite will remain one of the proudest achievements of my career for the rest of my life. I’m so grateful to have been a part of it,” he says in a thread on Twitter. In his bio, Linde notes that he is now senior narrative writer at Riot R&D – the developer’s secretive arm of development dedicated to exploring new genres, gameplay experiences and projects. Hmm. Linde has previously worked on shooters, for the most part – Battleborn, Gears of War 3 and Halo Infinite headline his portfolio. Could he be working on something similar at Riot, then? It remains to be seen. Don’t expect to hear about anything soon, though. Here’s hoping Linde won’t be subjected to Riot’s (now infamous) company culture that recently lead to to the company agree on a settlement of a class-action lawsuit against the company regarding gender discrimination that cost the studio $100 million in damages.
