Reports of Payton's new role surfaced on Kotaku as a rumor and "very reliable news," with Shacknews having heard the exact same information from its own reliable source.

Payton marks the latest addition to Microsoft's growing internal Halo team, which now includes former Gearbox technician Corrinne Yu and ex-Bungie writer Frank O'Connor, and is presently seeking more staff.

Often referred to as Halo: Chronicles, the Xbox 360 game from Lord of the Rings film director Peter Jackson was first announced in 2006, though few details have emerged since that time.