While the Halo franchise has moved to Activision, Halo Studios is offering fans one final parting shot full of concept art, updates on projects in various stages of development, and potential snippets of where the story could have gone. The Halo series is one of MIcrosoft’s most important IPs, but in recent years, it has seemingly lost its footing, resulting in a massive shake-up at Xbox Game Studios.
Following the departure of Bungie to the Destiny franchise, Halo Studios, formerly 343 Industries, was founded by Microsoft to handle everything related to the IP. Over the course of 16 years, the studio released multiple games, though the results have largely been mixed. As part of the ongoing shake-up at Xbox Game Studios in 2026, Xbox Chief Content Officer Matt Booty confirmed that Activision would be leading the next mainline Halo game, leaving Halo Studios in an awkward spot. Unfortunately, the result was mass layoffs at the studio, leaving just enough people there to continue supporting the Halo community and current games in-market. With a potential Halo 7 now scrapped, some former developers are giving fans a peek behind the curtain.
Possible Halo 7 Concept Art and Story Details
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Image via Halo Studios -
Image via Halo Studios -
Image via Halo Studios
In what many assume will be the final issue of Halo Studio’s newsletter, franchise writer Alex Wakeford added plenty of concept art, story ideas, and more for what could have been included in a potential Halo 7. It’s no secret that a new mainline Halo game was still years out, but now that future will be guided by Activision and a new development team. The Cannon Fodder newsletter was written prior to the major Xbox Game Studios shake-up, but was updated by Wakeford with addendums after the news hit. While touching on a variety of projects, Wakeford also had plenty to say about some ideas and concepts which may have been significant in a new game.
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After touching on some currently in-development projects, such as a pair of books called Halo: Fireteam Noble and Halo: Burn the Road Home, Wakeford revealed new concept art, including a full shot of The Primordial, an enemy that Halo 2 fans will know better as The Gravemind. A terrifying enemy called War Chief Severan was also detailed, the last remaining commander of the Banished Home Fleet who has what appears to be laser glaives attached to his gauntlets.
Alongside locations like the Orion Complex, The Graveworld, and Cloister, the newsletter also revealed concept art for what could have been new locations set on Zeta Halo, the primary location of Halo Infinite. Concept art showcases new locations like a snow region, what appears to be a marshland with stone spires jutting out, and a dense forest reminiscent of the planet Endor from Star Wars, with Banished steel structures hanging like futuristic treehouses. There’s also mention of Helm’s Deep where the UNSC Infinity has started to become integrated into the ring after just 6 months, a location that serves as a sort of home base for the surviving humans.
However, for many fans, some of the bigger teases come at the end of the post, serving as what could have been a big story point for Halo 7 and other games that potentially followed after. Another piece of concept art teases the Xalanyn, children of Abaddon who are an advanced race of immortals that were imprisoned by the Forerunners on Zeta Halo. This race became a focal point of the story in Halo Infinite, with one freed member known as Harbinger attempting to free the rest of her kind. It’s assumed that this species would become a bigger part of the Halo story, though with Activision now in control, those plans are likely in doubt as the company seeks a reset.
- Released
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December 8, 2021
- ESRB
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T for Teen: Blood, Mild Language, Violence
- Publisher(s)
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Xbox Game Studios
