Ryan Payton, creative director of Halo 4, who’s also worked as assistance producer on MGS4, has left 343 Industries, because he says he isn’t “creatively excited about the project anymore.”
Payton has left 343 Industries, but doesn’t regret working there at all. He has, however, set up his own company called Camoflaj, and has already begun work on two games.
“I had a great run at Microsoft,” Payton told Kotaku. “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.”
About his work on Metal Gear Solid 4, he said: “It was all a crash course on AAA game development. It was an experience that prepared me for a big budget, high risk project like Halo.”
He hired MGS4’s audio director Sotaro Tojima to work on Halo 4 too. “There’s no doubt that his Japanese sensibilities will bring a lot to the new game and I’m confident the game is going to sound epic,” he said.
Before leaving, Payton has confirmed that Halo 4 will have a very focused story. His comments fall in line with O’Connors’ earlier today, where he said Halo 4 was all about Chief and Cortana.
