Following Xbox's layoff of 268 employees at 343 Industries, development of the next mainline Halo game has been handed over to Activision. This personnel shift is quite dramatic, with Activision forming a new dedicated team independent of the Call of Duty development staff to advance the project. While no official release date or game details have been announced, Activision President Rob Kostich stated that the team's goal is to "create the greatest Halo game ever made."
In a recent interview with Variety, Kostich said, "We are thrilled to welcome Halo, Rare, and World’s Edge under the Activision banner. This is both an honor and a significant responsibility, which we will not take lightly. For decades, these studios and their works have inspired countless fans worldwide. Regarding Halo, our goal is clear: to create the greatest Halo title in history while staying true to the core elements that initially captivated players. This is an ambitious ideal, and one that this IP deserves. We have begun assembling a dedicated development team with exceptional talent and capabilities. We look forward to embarking on a new chapter for Halo together with the player community."
Discussing the other two studios transferred over, Kostich expressed great excitement about collaborating with World’s Edge and Rare. Compared to the ill-fated Halo series, these two studios have maintained relatively stable reputations for their titles, requiring less effort to appease fan sentiments.
Looking back at the series' development, 343 Industries' tenure after taking over the Halo IP from Bungie has been far from smooth. Halo 4, released in 2012, received generally acceptable reviews, but its multiplayer mode was heavily criticized by players. The disastrous bug issues at the launch of Halo: The Master Chief Collection, along with the poorly received single-player campaign of Halo 5: Guardians, cast a shadow over the series.
Halo Infinite was initially positioned as a fresh starting point for the next decade of the Halo franchise, but reports indicate that its originally planned expansive open-world content was significantly cut. After Joseph Staten joined the team, the game faced over a year of delays before its release. Upon launch, it continued to face controversies regarding its microtransaction design and multiplayer experience. Just as things began to improve, 343 Industries released the final content update for the game last November.
343 Industries' latest title, Halo: Campaign Evolved, officially launched this July. Veteran players have given mixed reviews to this title, and specific sales data for the game has not yet been publicly disclosed.