Next Halo game moves to Activision as Halo Studios steps back

Activision will develop the next mainline Halo game, with Halo Studios stepping back from lead development on the series.

The next core entry — a full new game in the main story, rather than a spin-off or update — will be led by a new purpose-built team inside Activision. That team will sit apart from Call of Duty development. A small team at Halo Studios will remain to support the Halo community and games already in-market, meaning titles that are released and still playable, according to Eurogamer.

Microsoft laid out the change in a post on Xbox Wire dated 22 September 2026. Halo Studios will not lead the next mainline game.

It is a sharp break in a long history. Halo began under Bungie, the studio that created the science-fiction shooter series about the supersoldier Master Chief. Bungie bought its independence from Microsoft in 2007. After that, 343 Industries took charge of Halo.

That studio rebranded as Halo Studios in 2024. Under its earlier name it developed three core releases: Halo 4, released in 2012, Halo 5: Guardians, released in 2015, and Halo Infinite, released in 2021.

The studio's next credited project is Halo: Campaign Evolved, a remake of the first game, Halo 1. A remake rebuilds an older game with new visuals and systems while keeping the core story.

The move had been foreshadowed. Insider NateTheHate reported that future Halo games could shift to Activision Blizzard as part of a wider Xbox reorganisation, according to Vice. That report circulated before Microsoft confirmed the structure.

For fans, this means a clear split. One group keeps existing Halo games running. A different group starts the next chapter.

No release date, title or platform details for the next mainline game have been announced. Microsoft has not said what happens to staffing at Halo Studios beyond the small live support team.