Bungie co-founder Jason Jones and bestselling author Margaret Stohl have officially launched Stone Kite, an independent transmedia entertainment studio based in Los Angeles. The creative venture unites storytellers across video games, literature, television, film, and comics to build shared narrative universes from inception rather than adapting finished games into other formats. The company debuted its initial universe, One Zero One, releasing the first issue of a four-part comic book series on October 1, 2026 [3].
Bungie Co-Founder Returns to Sci-Fi Storytelling
As Bungie co-founder, Jason Jones co-created both the Halo and Destiny franchises during his decades-long tenure at Bungie, producing landmark gaming properties that generated an estimated $15 billion in lifetime value and reached more than 250 million players worldwide [3]. Jones directed the original Destiny [4]. While his foundational sci-fi property moves into corporate realignment as Activision takes over the next Halo game, Jones has stepped away from corporate franchise management to build an independent creative studio [1], [3]. Despite leading some of the video game industry’s most lucrative interactive worlds, Jones long harbored an ambition to write long-form speculative fiction [2].
As a young student in Illinois, Jones regularly rode his bicycle fifteen miles along Lake Michigan to browse used bookstores in North Chicago before returning home with a backpack filled with science fiction paperbacks [1], [3]. Jones eventually authored an extensive original manuscript depicting futuristic planetary warfare, but he kept the draft private until sharing it with Stohl, whom he credited as the first person to believe in his prose writing. Stohl brought deep storytelling pedigree to the partnership as a number-one New York Times bestselling novelist who penned the Beautiful Creatures series, contributed scripts to Marvel Comics, and served as narrative director on Destiny 2: The Edge of Fate [1], [4].
Stohl had also accumulated industry experience co-founding game developer 7 Studios alongside Lewis Paterson. Publisher Activision later bought it [1]. When Jones presented his completed manuscript to Stohl, both creators recognized that the property warranted an expansive multi-format development approach rather than a single standalone release [3]. Stone Kite emerged directly from those conversations [1].
Building One Zero One Across Multiple Mediums
The inaugural intellectual property from Stone Kite is One Zero One, an expansive narrative set in a near-future world threatened by an autonomous robotic army [1], [3]. The core plot chronicles a catastrophic global conflict between surviving human populations and rogue machine combatants equipped with advanced military weaponry [1]. The foundational lore grew from an original manuscript penned by Bungie co-founder Jason Jones, detailing geopolitical factions and technological warfare [3].
The debut release arrives as a four-part comic series published simultaneously in digital and physical print editions [3]. Four comic issues are planned [1]. The digital comic is free [2].
Digital readers can access the first installment without paywalls at ozo.stonekite.com, while collectors can purchase physical copies featuring specialized cover variants through store.stonekite.com [2], [3]. Rather than rushing into a high-budget video game production, Stone Kite plans to release serialized comic installments through early 2027 before delivering audio productions, prose fiction, and live-action adaptations [1],. This phased rollout closely mirrors the creative strategy deployed by Dan Houser, the former Grand Theft Auto franchise lead, who established comic properties before committing studio capital toward interactive game development [3].
Bungie Cofounder Assembles Experienced Creative Roster
To execute this multi-disciplinary roadmap, the Bungie cofounder assembled an executive team with seasoned leadership across publishing, Hollywood, and interactive gaming [3]. Margaret Stohl serves as chief executive officer, guiding both long-term corporate vision and cross-media narrative cohesion [1], [3]. Lewis Peterson, former head of 7 Studios and senior executive at Activision Blizzard, directs organizational operations [1],. Matt Johnson oversees film and television [3].
Production veteran Matt Johnson, whose writing and producing credits include Truth Be Told, Into the Blue, and Afterburn, joined the company as vice president of film and television [3]. Jeanine Schaefer, whose editorial career spans prominent editorial tenures at both Marvel Comics and DC Comics, leads world development as narrative creative director [1], [3]. Stephen Wacker initially helped establish the organization as senior vice president of media before departing to become editor-in-chief at Marvel Comics [1], [3].
Beyond internal leadership, Stone Kite coordinated an external creative roster of entertainment specialists across global publishing and cinematic production [1], [3]. While initial studio announcements cited over two hundred collaborators, industry reports from GamesIndustry.biz indicate that the collaborative network encompasses more than 250 creators [1],. High-profile collaborators include director Jay Roach, known for helming Austin Powers, Meet the Parents, and Trumbo, and screenwriter Akela Cooper, who authored horror box-office hits M3GAN and Malignant [3]. The collaborative network also integrates illustrator Kyle Lambert, renowned for his promotional art on Stranger Things, bestselling horror novelist Stephen Graham Jones, and comic creator Christian Ward [1], [3].
Overcoming Media Silos from Day One
Traditional intellectual property management routinely confines early world-building to a single format before contracting external production houses to adapt the property into movies or books. Stohl argued that this legacy model artificially restricts universe growth by forcing subsequent adaptations to mimic the conventions of the debut medium [1], [3]. Stone Kite seeks to dismantle those established media silos by seating creators from diverse disciplines together during initial conception [1].
Stohl explained that modern storytelling must evolve to reflect how audiences consume narrative entertainment across diverse digital formats [1], [3]. Having worked across literature, television, comics, and video games, she observed that the initial format chosen for a world often constrains every subsequent adaptation. Rather than building outward from a single medium, Stone Kite plans to bring storytellers together ‘from day one to shape the world together’ [1], [3].
Bungie’s live-service structure presents a sharp contrast to Stone Kite’s publishing model. While Bungie management concentrates corporate resources on maintaining active digital ecosystems and restoring vaulted Destiny 2 content, Bungie co-founder Jason Jones pursued narrative freedom unburdened by server schedules or patch cadences [1],. Jones spent fifteen years at Bungie [3].
Comic Debut Sets Stage for 2027 Expansion
The opening issue of One Zero One showcases a notable lineup of comic illustrators and visual storytellers. Academy Award-nominated screenwriter Eric Heisserer, who wrote screenplays for Arrival, Bird Box, and Shadow and Bone, contributed narrative shaping to the debut installment with writer Christina Strain [3], [4]. Conceptual designer Kris Anka, acclaimed for his visual character work on Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, developed key robot silhouettes, while Dan Panosian, Ramón Pérez, Alitha Martinez, Raúl Allén, and Hyeonjin Kim provided specialized interior art [3].
To attract comic collectors, Stone Kite launched an extensive cover illustration program featuring high-profile industry talent. The premiere physical issue includes cover art by Björn Barends, Paolo Rivera, and Tula Lotay. Print issues offer exclusive covers. The initial print run also features a retailer exclusive variant by Peach Momoko. Momoko’s illustrated edition serves as a retailer exclusive, while subsequent issues will introduce variant artwork from Adi Granov, InHyuk Lee, and Esad Ribić [3].
Studio Reflector Entertainment previously demonstrated the perils of rapid multimedia expansion. That studio attempted a comparable multimedia universe with its narrative-heavy Unknown 9 franchise, yet that rollout stalled after initial game release Unknown 9: Awakening underperformed commercially and prompted studio job losses [4]. By prioritizing digital comics and independent publishing through early 2027 before committing to interactive software, Bungie co-founder Jason Jones and Margaret Stohl are betting that audience loyalty built on literature and graphic art can provide a durable foundation for future entertainment properties [1], [3], [4].
- ONLINE NEWS McEvoy, S. (2026, October 2). Bungie co-founder and Destiny 2 narrative director launch transmedia studio Stone Kite. GamesIndustry.biz. [Article Link]
- ONLINE NEWS Clarke, J. (2026, October 2). Bungie Co-Founder Reveals Stone Kite Studios. PlayDayOne. [Article Link]
- ONLINE NEWS Takahashi, D. (2026, October 1). Bungie cofounder Jason Jones and author Margaret Stohl launch Stone Kite transmedia studio. GamesBeat. [Article Link]
- ONLINE NEWS LeBlanc, W. (2026, October 1). Stone Kite Is A New Studio From Halo, Destiny Creator Jason Jones And Author Margaret Stohl, And Its First Project Is About Rogue AI Robots. Game Informer. [Article Link]
