Netflix hires Halo veteran Joseph Staten for its big push into AAA games

Joseph Staten, who served as creative director on Halo Infinite and has worked on the series since 2001's Halo: Combat evolved, has joined Netflix to work on a new and original AAA game.

With Staten himself announcing the news on Twitter, this is Netflix's most significant and public push into AAA games territory yet. While job listings quietly confirmed the streamer's ambitions beyond indie titles back in November, this is the most tangible manifestation of that strategy since the whole expansion into video games was announced back in 2021.

"In my work life, there's nothing I love more than collaborating with others to build worlds filled with iconic characters, deep mysteries, and endless adventures," Staten said in a tweet published on Monday. "So today, I'm thrilled to announce that I've joined Netflix Games as Creative Director for a brand-new AAA multiplatform game and original IP. Let's go!"

Nothing more was revealed about the game, but it's safe to assume it won't be limited to mobile platforms like Netflix's current slate of games. The streamer has been making moves for a while now, scooping up indie studios at a fairly steady clip since Netflix Games' conception. In all, the company revealed recently that it has 70 games in development with its partner studios and 16 with its own in-house studios.

Staten announced his departure from Microsoft just last week. He joined the company as a senior creative director in 2014 after serving in various roles at Bungie since the early 2000s, most notably as Halo's cinematics director and later, as a writer and design director on Destiny.

Check our guide to new games of 2023 for everything on the horizon.