
Tragic news has hit the video game industry and community, as Xbox software developer, Melissa Batten, was killed on July 29 by her estranged husband in Redmond, Washington.
According to reports, Batten was on her way to work until her husband, Joseph Batten, shot her to death with a 9mm pistol and then pulled the trigger to take his own life. This tragedy happened just seven days after Melissa Batten received an emergency protection order from a judge against her, according to reports, abusive husband.
Before the unfortunate event, Coin-Op TV featured Batten during E3 2008 as she discussed Rare's new title, Banjo Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts. Batten also worked on two of Microsoft's biggest titles which were Gears of War and Halo 3. A Harvard-law graduate, Batten chose to grace the video game industry with her amazing talents. She will be missed by all.
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