Bonnie Ross

Bonnie Ross is not only one of the most successful women in the gaming industry but one of the most influential people in the sector. Being the Vice President of Microsoft Corporate and Head of 343 industries, she has been one woman in technology that defines success. Ross has played a significant role to the Halo franchise’s vision and expansion. The Halo franchise has accumulated almost $6 billion from global sales to date. The franchise has brought joy and countless grins to the faces of video game lovers around the world.

Bonnie’s vision to combine art and technology has been the primary driver for the Halo universe to flourish in various platforms and mediums and her passion for encouraging women to purse STEM education is second to known. She is also well known for expanding the video game gaming industries diversity efforts. She is a true inspiration for upcoming women video game design and women in the gaming industry.

Bonnie’s Career Path

Bonnie’s interest in gaming and technology, lead her to a degree in technical communication with a specialty of Physics and Computer Science. After she finished college, she interned at IBM. After IBM, she came to Microsoft. In Microsoft, her first field of work was operating systems. 

In 1994, she started a career in gaming. Microsoft designed a sports gaming division for PC that year. NBA Full Court Press, was her first game. She advanced in the games industry by functioning in several roles. She served as a lead producer, general manager for production, and Microsoft Game Studio’s executive producer for a portfolio of titles. Her contributions made her one of the most prominent women in gaming.

Her notable projects include: Fuzion Frenzy, Counter-Strike (Xbox), Gears of War, Psychonauts, Pandora’s Box, Mass Effect, Dungeon Siege, NBA: Inside Drive, and Jade Empire. All in which she was the leading or co-developer.

In 2007, Bonnie Ross founded 343 industries. This happened after Microsoft, parted ways with Halo creators. 343 industries was an entertainment studio that fostered Halo’s expansion and growth and drove innovations to all platforms of Microsoft. This passion has been the force for 343 industries to create memorable experiences within the Halo universe.

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At 343 industries and Microsoft Game Studio, she oversaw or collaborated on the several Halo games. The games include, Halo: Reach, Halo 3: ODST, Halo: Spartan Assault, Halo Wars 2, Halo 4, Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary, Halo: Fireteam, Halo 5: Guardians, Halo: Spartan Strike, Halo: The Master Chief Collection and the Halo Infinite. Her passion involves bringing technology and art together to giving people a great entertainment experience.

For about a decade, she has enlarged the reach of the franchise. Similarly, Halo has become a leader across the entertainment industry in Transmedia. Halo has been leading in areas like their series of video games, live-action series, like “Halo: Nightfall and Halo: Forward Unto Dawn, and the SHOWTIME Halo television series. More so, Halo has released 12 novels named New York Times Best Sellers out of 17 novels. Hence, Halo has enjoyed over a billion dollars in consumer spending.

Bonnie Ross contributed several efforts to achieve diversity in the technology and game industry. As a result, her primary interest included women, ambitious children pursuing science, engineering, minorities, technology, and math (STEM) careers. She was a co-founder of the Microsoft Women in the Gaming community. The women’s community has grown has grown yearly thanks to her efforts. 

Women in Gaming: Bonnie Ross

Bonnie Ross has been full of impact on different sectors of the gaming industry and technology at large. She is a significant source of inspiration to other female game developers. As a result, has received different awards and honorariums.

Women in tech

She won the 2019 Hall of Fame Award at the 22ND Annual DICE Awards ceremony. They gave her the award via friend and long-time colleague, Phil Spencer. Phil Spencer was the Executive Vice President and Head of Gaming at Microsoft. Phil said, working with Bonnie for over twenty years is a privilege. He mentioned Bonnie’s heart to merge excellent teamwork with storytelling and art. He added these strides are foundational for Xbox in their coming years. She is an integral part of The Ad Council’s campaign

The AIAS (Academy of Interactive Arts & Science) Hall of fame of honor is one of the highest levels of recognition any individual can have in the gaming industry. They give the award to game creators who have contributed immensely to the development of games and pushed a specific genre forward. To earn the honor implies you must have shown the peak of innovation and creativity. However, design and creativity have substantially influenced products that expand the industry’s scope.

They have not been many recipients of this prestigious award. Previous winners before Bonnie Ross are Leslie Benzies and Hideo Kojima. Bonnie got the award in 2019. The Colorado State Alum has become one of the impactful women in the technology and gaming industry.

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