Recent reports, citing insider information from The Verge's Tom Warren and YouTuber Rebs Gaming, suggest that the recent restructuring of Halo Studios came as a surprise to many employees and that a new mainline Halo title was still years away from completion.
According to sources speaking with Warren, the initial communication about the drastic cuts was made public via an Xbox blog post before employees were formally notified. Rebs Gaming's sources indicated that no Halo games were in full production at the time of the layoffs, though development was underway for remakes of Halo 2 and Halo 3, a potential Halo 7, and "spinoff campaigns."
One of these proposed spinoffs would have adapted the First Strike novel and been released between remakes, offering a shorter narrative experience. However, the next main installment in the Halo series was estimated to be "years" away from release.
Following the restructuring, Halo Studios is reportedly operating with a skeleton crew of around 30 individuals, primarily focused on maintaining existing titles like Halo Infinite and Campaign Evolved. Activision is said to be establishing a new studio dedicated to the future of the Halo franchise.
While acknowledging that insider accounts offer only a partial view, the picture painted is one of a studio that was slow-moving and heavily focused on past entries. The prospect of further remakes now seems less likely, and whether this signals a missed opportunity or a relief remains a subject of debate, particularly given the mixed reception of Halo Infinite's evolution compared to its predecessors. The talent within Halo Studios is hoped to be redirected effectively towards the future of the franchise under Activision's new direction.