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Recently, I covered the news that Glenn Israel, a former developer at Halo Studios with over 17 years of experience dating back to Halo 3: ODST, had left the company. In that report, I outlined Glenn’s claims of serious misconduct, which Microsoft partially addressed, simply stating, "We don’t publicly discuss individual employee issues."
Now, a new report from Rebs Gaming has gone further, working to investigate and corroborate several of those allegations. I do highly recommend you read the original before we dive further into details, but Glenn's comments are quite scathing, detailing favoritism, cronyism, and more.
Article continues belowIn the latest report, we also see a direct message from Glenn Israel dating to before his departure in late 2025, which reads:
“i saw a thing on friday that was definitely unethical, possibly illegal. i'm not going to report it because 1) it was done in... a way that it would be difficult to prove and 2) retaliation would be a certainty... i am not confident in MSHR's ability or interest in protecting me... but i have voiced my concern appropriately internally, and i worry that this alone might be enough to draw inappropriate attention... it would comforting to know that someone respected, impartial, and perhaps most importantly uninvolved knows that i know if, for example, my career suddenly takes a nosedive
Glenn Israel, Former Art Director at Halo Studios
Further claims around hiring practices have also been raised. Glenn states that three of the art leadership roles in question were the only externally posted positions between June 2024 and June 2025, and claims all three were filled by former associates, with a possible fourth following the same pattern. He suggests this reflects not just coincidence, but a broader hiring approach.
Glenn has commented on Mr. Rebs’ latest video, confirming these hiring concerns were part of his original complaints, stating:
Speaking solely to the issue I can personally substantiate... I will confirm that the outrageous appearance of impropriety in hiring illustrated here was indeed a cause for concern in my original complaints... Once may be an anomaly, twice a coincidence; three times or more is a pattern, and a direct violation of Microsoft's code of conduct... I will add information Mr Rebs could not have known - three of these positions were the only art leadership positions posted for external hire between June 2024 and June 2025; the fact that all three (and a further fourth?) went to former associates suggests not just a pattern but an implicit policy...This behavior was acceptable for a garage startup in 1996... Halo Studios is a division of the world's third most profitable company in 2026... One cannot just hire and promote one's allies
Glenn Israel, Former Art Director at Halo Studios
The report also details how the Halo Digsite team was treated, something that is well documented. This group, made up of community modders responsible for restoring the Halo 2 E3 demo, disbanded after Halo Studios refused to pay staff.
One member of the Digsite team said: “Pierre told us we could leave the team since unlike him, we weren't born with a gun pointed at our head, meaning we wouldn't understand real stakes and consequences”.
There’s more in the full report from Mr. Rebs, so do give the full video a watch, and make sure you give them a follow on both X and YouTube!
I'm hoping Microsoft can step in and steady things ahead of Halo: Campaign Evolved. However, as things stand, though, it’s exhausting seeing the same kinds of issues come up again and again, and honestly, it’s just sad.
I'd love to hear your thoughts on the matter, and how you currently feel about Halo, so make sure to leave us a comment and take part in our poll below:
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