Xbox has officially confirmed that Activision is taking over the development of the next Halo game, while also revealing the future of Halo Studios. It brings about the end of Halo Studios’ 16-year tenure as lead developer on the Halo franchise.
Halo Studios’ (formerly 343 Industries) time leading the Halo franchise has been mixed, to say the least. The overwhelming sentiment is that it has never quite managed to capture the magic of Bungie’s games between 2001 and 2010. Its most recent release was Halo: Campaign Evolved, which received solid reviews, but not quite enough to inspire confidence that Halo Studios was right to continue at the helm.
Next Halo Game to Be Developed by Activision After Huge Layoffs
In a new statement on Xbox Wire, Xbox Chief Content Officer Matt Booty confirmed that Activision will be leading the development of the next Halo game, “led by a new, purpose-built team that is separate from ongoing development and plans for Call of Duty.” His statement confirmed earlier reports of plans to consolidate several studios at Xbox, marking the end of an era as Halo Studios officially takes a backseat on the franchise it was founded to lead.
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As part of the announcement, Booty also confirmed that Halo Studios would be affected by another round of layoffs at Xbox, following CEO Asha Sharma’s continued restructuring of the company. Booty says 268 roles are being eliminated at “Halo Studios, other first-party studios, and the XGS management and central functions layer,” so it’s unclear exactly how many roles specifically at Halo Studios are affected compared to other areas. Halo Studios isn’t going away entirely, with Booty revealing that the developer will “continue supporting the Halo community and games in-market” while Activision focuses on delivering a brand-new game in the series.
Halo Studios was originally founded as 343 Industries back in 2007. It was created to work on the franchise after Bungie’s departure, initially helping with Halo: Reach map packs and Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary. Its first full release was Halo 4 in 2012, followed by Halo 5: Guardians in 2015. Its third big release was Halo Infinite in 2021. In isolation, none of the developer’s games were particularly panned, but none brought Halo back to the forefront of gaming culture as it was during the Bungie days. The studio rebranded to Halo Studios in October 2024, marking a new era for the franchise that seems to have been short-lived.
With this announcement, it remains to be seen how much of Halo Studios’ former plans for the franchise remain intact. Remember, Halo: Campaign Evolved just teased a Halo 2 remake, and rumors prior to its release suggested that it intended to remake the entire original trilogy. Xbox putting the franchise under Activision’s remit could put these plans in jeopardy, so fans will just have to wait and see what the future holds.
- Released
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July 28, 2026
- Developer(s)
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Halo Studios
- Publisher(s)
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Microsoft Studios
- Multiplayer
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Online Co-Op, Local Co-Op
- Cross-Platform Play
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Yes – all platforms