What you need to know
- Halo Infinite’s Art Director, Nicolas “Sparth” Bouvier, has departed from 343 Industries.
- After 14 years of working on Halo, Bouvier said that he has “decided to pursue other opportunities outside of 343 Industries and Microsoft.”
- Bouvier has worked on Halo 4, Halo 5: Guardians, and Halo Infinite, and has also created the cover artwork for several Halo books and comics as well.
Halo Infinite’s Art Director, Nicolas “Sparth” Bouvier, has announced on Twitter that he has departed 343 Industries and Microsoft to take his career in a new direction. As the game’s Art Director, Bouvier helped establish the overall look and feel of Halo Infinite’s aesthetic, creating concepts and overseeing production as they were brought to life during development.
“All good things come to an end,” Bouvier said. “After close to 14 years on Halo, I have decided to pursue other opportunities outside Microsoft and 343 Industries. It’s been a hell of a ride, loved every minute of it. Wishing the absolute best to 343, you guys are and always will be amazing.”
Bouvier has been working with Microsoft on Halo since 2009, and as worked on Halo 4, Halo 5: Guardians, and Halo Infinite. Additionally, he has also created the cover art for many popular Halo books and comics, including Halo Evolutions: Essential Tales of the Halo Universe, Halo: Smoke and Shadow, Halo: Escalation, Halo: Warfleet, and The Art of Halo Infinite. Outside of Halo, Bouvier has also contributed to franchises such as Assassin’s Creed, RAGE, and Prince of Persia.
All good things come to an end. After close to 14 years on HALO, I have decided to pursue other opportunities outside Microsoft and 343 Industries. It’s been a hell of a ride, loved every minute of it. Wishing the absolute best to 343, you guys are and always will be amazing. pic.twitter.com/6mmQtvLTW7July 18, 2022
Bouvier’s farewell is the latest in a string of recent departures from 343 Industries and Halo Infinite. Former Creative Director Tim Longo and Lead Producer Mary Olson left the studio in 2019, and the developer’s former Studio Head, Chris Lee, parted with the project in 2020. Recently, former Lead Multiplayer Designer Andrew Witts and Head of Design Jerry Hook left Halo Infinite as well.
Personally, I’m sad to see Bouvier leave Halo, as I think he has done an incredible job shaping Halo’s art direction over the years. I’m very excited to see what he does next, though, and I hope the new opportunities he’s exploring will be successful.
Halo Infinite’s multiplayer is free to play and is available on Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One consoles, and Windows PCs. It’s not without issues, but regardless, there’s a lot of fun to be had in 343 Industries’ latest title. It’s definitely one of the best Xbox games available right now if you’re looking for a new shooter to jump into, especially if you pick up the excellent campaign as well.
