Ethan Crossfield 
The games industry is increasingly looking beyond a single release format, and two longtime Bungie veterans are making that approach the foundation of their next venture. Jason Jones, a co-founder of Bungie and a key figure in the creation of Halo and Destiny, has launched Stone Kite alongside former Destiny 2 narrative director Margaret Stohl. Rather than begin with a game and expand later, the studio plans to develop a connected universe across multiple forms of entertainment from the start.
A New Studio After Decades at Bungie
Stone Kite officially launched on October 1, with Stohl serving as CEO and Jones listed as co-founder. The pair bring different but closely connected experience to the company. Jones was involved with Bungie from its founding in 1991, working on Marathon and Myth before becoming project lead on Halo: Combat Evolved and Halo 2. He later helped create and direct the original Destiny, which released in 2014.
Jones' departure from Bungie appears to have taken place during the studio's major June 2026 layoffs. A Washington WARN filing included the Chief Vision Officer role among the affected positions. The filing did not identify individual employees, but Jones held that public title. His move to Stone Kite therefore marks a significant change for one of the figures most associated with Bungie's history and its modern science-fiction franchises.
Stone Kite Wants One Universe Across Many Formats
Stone Kite is not presenting itself as a conventional game developer. Its stated creative model, described as “fractal storytelling,” is designed to let different media provide separate entry points into one larger fictional setting. The studio's wider creative group includes people with backgrounds at Marvel, DC, Disney, Pixar, Bungie, Activision Blizzard, and Riot.
That strategy gives the company a notably different identity from a studio focused on shipping one flagship game. It also arrives while Bungie is working to reassure Destiny 2 players that the game will continue receiving support. The company has said older content will eventually return after strong community criticism surrounding its focus on Marathon. Stone Kite is not positioned as a replacement for Destiny, but its launch adds another chapter to the changing careers of people who helped build that franchise.
One Zero One Starts With Comics and Prose
The first project from Stone Kite is One Zero One, based on a manuscript Jones wrote under the title An Oral History of Humanity's Final Invention. Its setting is a future in which humanity is threatened with extinction by robotic soldiers controlled by artificial intelligence.
The initial release is an 80-page opening issue in a planned four-part graphic novel series. Additional prose, audio, and screen projects are planned for the same universe, although no further projects have been detailed. For Jones, beginning with writing and comics represents a departure from a career dominated by game development. Games remain part of Stone Kite's broader ambitions, but the studio has not announced a specific game.
Stone Kite says it is already working with more than 250 creators from different entertainment disciplines. That scale suggests the company is building a collaborative creative network before committing to a particular platform or gameplay format.
Key points
- Jason Jones and Margaret Stohl founded Stone Kite.
- The studio launched on October 1 with Stohl as CEO.
- One Zero One will begin as an 80-page graphic novel.
- Stone Kite plans a connected universe spanning multiple media.
Expert View
Stone Kite signals how major game creators are increasingly treating intellectual property as a network of experiences rather than a single product. Its cross-media plan could help the studio establish a setting without immediately taking on the cost and risk of a large game production. The approach also gives Jones and Stohl room to apply their strengths in worldbuilding and narrative while keeping games available as a future option. For now, the most important test will be whether One Zero One can give this ambitious universe a compelling first audience.
