Xbox Moves Next Mainline Halo to New Activision Team
Xbox confirmed the next mainline Halo will be built by a new team under Activision, kept separate from Call of Duty, as Halo Studios shifts to supporting current titles.
Xbox Chief Content Officer Matt Booty confirmed on September 22 that the next mainline Halo game will be developed by a purpose-built team under Activision, moving the franchise out of Halo Studios and the Xbox Game Studios umbrella, according to Collider.
The new Activision team will be kept separate from the Call of Duty teams, and will be built from the ground up to make Halo, the company said. Activision president Rob Kostich said the goal is to make the greatest Halo game ever made.
Halo Studios will shift to supporting the currently active Halo titles rather than leading development on the next mainline entry.
The restructuring cost 268 jobs across Microsoft's first-party studios.
Background
343 Industries was rebranded as Halo Studios in 2024, after 15 years, three mainline games and three remake projects. Halo 4 delivered a well-received campaign but its multiplayer used loadouts and ordnance drops; Halo 5: Guardians had a panned campaign but a well-regarded Arena multiplayer; and Halo Infinite launched incomplete with no campaign co-op, no Forge, no Firefight and only 10 multiplayer maps, with its campaign DLC canceled outright.
Quick answers
Who is developing the next mainline Halo game?
A purpose-built team under Activision, kept separate from the Call of Duty teams, according to Xbox.
What happens to Halo Studios?
Halo Studios will support the currently active Halo titles instead of leading the next mainline game.
How many jobs were cut in the restructuring?
268 jobs were cut across Microsoft's first-party studios.