One of Xbox’s biggest franchises is getting one of its biggest changes ever: Activision is taking the lead on the next Halo game.
Microsoft confirmed the move on 22 September as part of Xbox’s ongoing reset. Activision is assembling a new, purpose-built development team specifically for Halo, separate from the teams working on Call of Duty. A smaller team at Halo Studios will remain to support the Halo community and games already available.
So, is Halo Studios gone?
No — but its role is changing significantly. Halo Studios, previously known as 343 Industries, had been the main home of the franchise after Bungie moved on. Under the new structure, Activision will develop the next title while the remaining Halo Studios team supports existing games and the community.
Activision president Rob Kostich says the ambition is to make a Halo game worthy of the series while staying true to what players originally loved about it. That is a huge brief. Halo is not simply another shooter: its campaigns, sandbox combat, vehicles, multiplayer and unmistakable sci-fi world have given it an identity fans are protective of.
It is part of a much bigger Xbox restructure
Halo is only one piece of the story. Microsoft says 268 roles are being eliminated across Halo Studios, other first-party studios and Xbox Game Studios management. Activision’s remit is also expanding to include Rare and World’s Edge.
Bethesda is taking on oversight of Obsidian, which is continuing its current projects and working with Bethesda Game Studios on a new Fallout project. Playground Games and Turn 10 are being brought together as one studio focused on Forza and Fable, while King is taking responsibility for Microsoft Casual Games.
What does this mean for the next Halo?
For now, the most important thing is what Microsoft has not announced. We do not yet have a title, release date or detailed description of Activision’s new Halo project. The announcement is about who will make the next game rather than what that game will actually be.
The obvious question is whether Activision’s enormous experience with first-person shooters will change Halo’s direction. Microsoft says the new Halo team is separate from Call of Duty, so this should not simply mean turning Halo into another Call of Duty-style game.
For fans, that makes the next reveal unusually important. A new developer can bring fresh ideas, but Halo also has more than two decades of history behind it. The challenge will be finding something new without losing the movement, combat, weapons, vehicles and atmosphere that make Halo feel like Halo.
