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Tomb Raider, Republic Commando creative director joins 343 Industries
Tim Longo, creative director of Star Wars: Republic Commando and Tomb Raider has assumed the familiar position of - wait for it - creative director, at 343 Industries. Beyond Entertainment spotted a change in Longo's Twitter biography noting the job change earlier today, which sees him replacing Halo 4 creative director Josh Holmes. David Ellis, designer at 343i, also hinted at Longo's new position when he tweeted that he looked forward to giving Longo regular feedback as he plays through the recently-announced Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition. Longo replied that he's "all #343Industries & @HaloWaypoint now!" Holmes' LinkedIn profile lists his most current position as "Franchise Creative Director" for 343i, but his Twitter biography has been updated to read "EP [Executive Producer] @ 343." We've reached out for clarification on the position changes.
Halo's new house: 343 discusses its approach to Halo 4
Recognizing the central challenges faced by Halo 4, the first game in the franchise overseen by Microsoft's 343 Industries, is easier than sussing out a clear solution. Adhere strictly to the principles that made the franchise a hit and you've made Halo Again – something stale. Dive headfirst into a new design and people wonder why it's called Halo 4 – it's too alien.In the video above we hear from Halo 4's Executive Producer, Kiki Wolfkill, and Creative Designer Josh Holmes about the studio's adherence to Halo, what luxuries 343 has enjoyed over the former franchise custodians at Bungie, and why we're not playing the game in September.After you hear what they have to say, we'll share our own thoughts on how 343 is doing in this tug-of-war between old and new.
It's-a me, Master Chief: Halo 4 lead talks shop at Italy's View conference this October
Italy's View Conference – taking place in Turin from October 16 to 19 – is a show focused on video games, interactive media and film. Halo franchise creative director Josh Holmes will give a special presentation on Halo 4 during the show: Halo Reborn: Building a Studio, Crafting a Universe. As one might imagine, the presentation will focus on the hurdles of employing a new studio to create a new entry in the popular Microsoft franchise.Holmes will discuss the challenges of "creating a game with a storyline that encompasses over 100,000 years of fictional history and connects through and across multiple mediums including print, a live-action digital series, an ambitious story-driven campaign and innovative episodic content that will continue beyond the launch of the game." Holmes will also address how Microsoft went about creating its first internal studio from scratch, and the talent that helped make Halo 4 a reality. Finally, it's not listed in the presentation description, but we expect Holmes will talk about what Master Chief's been eating all this time that's made him put on all that weight.
