Joseph Staten, a former Halo scribe, has announced that he will be joining Netflix’s gaming division as the creative director on a new AAA game and original intellectual property. Staten made the announcement on Twitter, less than two weeks after leaving Microsoft, where he had been working as a senior creative director on the Xbox Game Studios team. Staten is best known for his work on Bungie’s Halo franchise, where he served as a writer and director of cinematics on the first three games.
Staten’s move to Netflix is significant, as it marks the streaming giant’s first foray into developing a multiplatform AAA game. Until now, the company’s gaming strategy has focused primarily on obtaining mobile publishing rights to respected indie titles. Developing a AAA game is a much more ambitious and risky endeavor, but it’s clear that Netflix is serious about expanding its gaming division.
