Not yet proven. Xbox has announced that Activision will develop the next Halo title with a new team separate from Call of Duty development. That could bring the franchise focused production capacity, but the announcement does not establish that Activision is the best possible studio for Halo—or disclose the team, creative direction, engine, platforms, or schedule. The move will be judged by the people assembled and the game they deliver, not by the publisher’s name.
Who is making the next Halo game?
On September 22, 2026, Xbox Chief Content Officer Matt Booty announced that Activision would develop the next Halo title. He said it would be led by a “new, purpose-built team” separate from ongoing development and plans for Call of Duty. Xbox also said a small team at Halo Studios would continue supporting the community and games already in market. Xbox’s announcement confirms an organizational assignment, not a shipped game or a transfer of Call of Duty’s existing developers to Halo.
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The announcement does not name the new team’s leaders or members, nor does it establish the project’s engine, creative direction, release date, or platforms. It also does not say that Halo Studios’ remaining support team represents all of its former development staff.
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A dedicated team could give the series focused attention
Xbox says the new group will be purpose-built and separate from Call of Duty development. If that separation is reflected in staffing, decision-making, and production priorities, Halo could receive a team organized around its own needs rather than treated as a routine assignment within another franchise’s pipeline. The public announcement does not yet reveal whether that is how the team will operate.
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It may address a production challenge Halo had already identified
In 2024, 343 Industries became Halo Studios and announced that future development was moving from its proprietary Slipspace engine to Unreal Engine 5. The studio also described multiple projects and changes to its production process. Halo Studios’ Project Foundry announcement said Foundry was a research and training effort for building Halo in Unreal, not a game or tech demo.
Halo Studios leaders said that maintaining their own engine and tools took effort away from making games. In an October 2024 Xbox Wire interview, COO Elizabeth Van Wyck explained that the team wanted to focus more on making games than on making the tools and engines. That is the studio’s stated rationale for the Unreal shift—not proof that the change has already made development faster or improved a released Halo game.
Placing the next project with Activision gives Microsoft another organizational route to staff and publish Halo. But Xbox has not explained how Activision will work with Halo’s existing development pipeline or whether the new project will continue the Unreal Engine plan. The 2026 announcement therefore does not resolve how the earlier production changes and this new assignment fit together.
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Microsoft’s FY2024 annual report listed Halo among 20 franchises that had generated more than $1 billion in lifetime revenue. The report gives no Halo-specific revenue total, current annual earnings, or breakdown by game. It establishes the franchise’s historical scale, not that one particular studio is the right choice.
Microsoft said in February 2026 that its gaming business spanned nearly 40 studios across Xbox, Bethesda, Activision Blizzard, and King, and named Halo and Call of Duty among its franchises. The same announcement reported more than 500 million monthly active users for Microsoft Gaming; that is a company-wide figure, not a Halo audience count. Microsoft’s leadership update also described its gaming business as a publisher across platforms. Separately, its FY2024 annual report said four fan-favorite titles had been brought to Nintendo Switch and Sony PlayStation. Neither statement confirms which platforms the next Halo will reach.
Why is the announcement not enough to call it the best move?
The new team has no disclosed Halo record
The assignment announcement does not identify the developers, creative leads, or their relevant shipped games. Activision’s association with Call of Duty is not evidence by itself that it will make Halo well—or poorly. Until the team and its responsibilities are known, claims about its Halo expertise or likely performance are speculation.
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Another organizational change could help or disrupt continuity
Halo had already undergone a studio rebrand, an announced engine transition, and changes to its production approach in 2024. A new development arrangement could add resources, but it could also make continuity harder if knowledge, decision rights, or the project’s scope are unclear. The public information does not establish which outcome is more likely.
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The practical questions are whether someone will be accountable for Halo’s lore and distinctive combat, how the new group will draw on the franchise’s existing expertise, and whether the project has stable staffing, tools, and scope. Xbox has not publicly answered those questions in the assignment announcement.
Support for current games is a separate responsibility
Xbox says a small Halo Studios team will continue supporting existing games and the community. It has not published the team’s size, duties, or knowledge-transfer arrangements. That leaves open how ongoing support will be organized, but it is not evidence that support has ended or that every Halo Studios developer is moving to Activision.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How to judge whether it was the right call
The assignment is a plan, not a result. As more details emerge, the move can be evaluated against concrete evidence rather than the studios’ reputations alone:
- Franchise understanding: Who is accountable for Halo’s lore, combat rhythm, sandbox, and player expectations?
- Team evidence: Which named leaders and developers are assigned, and what relevant games have they shipped together?
- Production stability: Is the project clearly scoped and staffed, with its engine, tools, and decision-making responsibilities established?
- Distinct identity: Does the team retain Halo’s recognizable play and tone while giving the series a meaningful direction?
- Cadence and support: Can the structure support current games and their communities while making new games sustainably?
- Reach: Which platforms and business models are actually confirmed, and what trade-offs might they create for quality, audience, and community?
These are tests for judging the decision, not findings about the new team. The public material cited here provides neither a disclosed roster nor comparative performance data ranking Activision against alternative developers.
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