Halo Announcement Expected Soon, Possible Layoffs Ahead

Xbox appears to be preparing a significant announcement about the Halo franchise, according to hints from Windows Central's Jez Corden. During a Twitter AMA session, Corden responded to fan questions about Halo's future with messages including "stay tuned", "soon", and "yes, you'll find out more within a day".

The nature of the announcement remains uncertain. Industry insider NateTheHate posted on ResetEra that the news will likely generate mixed reactions. "The Halo news will vary individual to individual. Layoffs are bad, of course; but as for the series' future… people will react in a variety of ways," he wrote, acknowledging that staff reductions may be part of the announcement.

Halo Studios has been quiet since releasing Halo: Campaign Evolved a few months ago. The remake sold 1.2 million copies as of last month, according to Alinea Analytics. Xbox players made up 42 percent of the player base, while 2.1 million players accessed the game through Game Pass. Less than 600,000 purchased the Premium Edition upgrade.

Multiple reports suggest Halo Studios continues work on the franchise with external support. Fifteen different studios contributed to Halo: Campaign Evolved. Halo leaker Rebs Gaming reported that Halo Studios is in talks with Activision regarding a new project, though an Activision-developed prototype was canceled in July.

Halo: Campaign Evolved is available on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S.