The two join what MGS head Phil Spencer described to Edge as a "group of industry heavy hitters," which includes Scott's wife and ex-Gearbox technician Corrinne Yu along with former Bungie writer Frank O'Connor.

Microsoft is said to have at least four different teams working on projects related to the immensely popular sci-fi series, with rumors indicating that Brothers in Arms developer Gearbox is heading up Halo 4 for Xbox 720.

Series creator Bungie is working on a new campaign for Halo 3, while the soon-to-be-closed Ensemble Studios is wrapping up its strategy game Halo Wars and Microsoft Game Studios prepares the Peter Jackson-helmed episodic Halo game.

Shacknews had previously heard from a reliable source that Payton was hired as the creative director for the Peter Jackson Halo game, often referred to as Halo: Chronicles, though Microsoft has yet to confirm his exact position.