In 2007, Ross helped found 343 Industries, building a studio that would work on a new Halo game after the departure of developer Bungie.
Desiring more creative freedom, Ross switched to a technical writing program in the journalism department during her 1987–88 school year.
She interned at IBM for two years, and coached high school sports and wrote technical manuals in her spare time.
Initially looking at taking a break from Microsoft for a year to work on something creative, she secured a position as a producer on a basketball game on the basis of her sports and technology background.
She worked on games such as Zoo Tycoon, Fuzion Frenzy, Jade Empire, Mass Effect, Psychonauts, Gears of War, Alan Wake, and Crackdown in roles such as lead or executive producer, and studio head.
Ross recalled that her colleagues felt Halo was a waning property and looked at contracting an outside company to produce new games, but she argued differently.
[5]: 28:22 Bungie staffer Frank O'Connor assisted in the transition, and expected Ross would be an executive with no knowledge of Halo or its appeal.
[1][8] Ross' vision for Halo also impressed art director Kiki Wolfkill, who joined the team as a studio head.
[8] During the transition, Ross worked with the company Starlight Runner to interview Bungie staff and compile a centralized story bible for the universe.
[13] Midway through development, 343 changed the vision of the project significantly, leading to the departure of the game's creative director and Josh Holmes as a replacement.
[23] Ross appeared as a speaker at the Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing, held in Phoenix, Arizona, presenting on "Technology and How It Is Evolving Storytelling in Our Entertainment Experiences".
[29] Ross was also the lead speaker for Microsoft's presentation at the 2015 Electronic Entertainment Expo, as part of an industry push for larger roles for women.
[30][31] In 2014, Fortune listed Ross as one of "10 powerful women in video games", which noted that she was "responsible for defining the vision and leading the Halo franchise".