Xbox may be looking to put Activision in charge of development of the Halo series, according to a new rumor.
During the latest episode of The Xbox Two podcast, Windows Central’s Jez Corden revealed that he has heard a “crazy rumor” suggesting Xbox may place the Halo franchise under Activision as part of an effort to unlock the series’ long-dormant potential. While he clarified that these plans aren’t concrete, they do hint at the kind of structural changes Xbox leadership is actively exploring. “I think all these things are things to look out for in the future,” he said. “But, you know, nothing concrete from me, but this is something they’re really thinking hard about right now.”
“I heard a crazy rumor that they might put Halo under Activision,” Corden said. “Which, for what it’s worth, I don’t necessarily believe right now, but if it does happen, you heard it here first. But this is the kind of thing that they’re looking at [in terms of] ‘how do we structure Halo so it can actually start delivering on the level of potential that it actually has?'”
According to Corden, discussions about Halo’s future have become more prominent after Microsoft’s recent restructuring efforts. He mentioned that Xbox CEO Asha Sharma is fully transparent about Halo being “in the crosshairs” as a franchise Microsoft wants to fix. He argued that Halo remains one of Xbox’s most valuable IPs, thanks to its merchandising opportunities, brand recognition and multimedia potential, despite years of inconsistent game releases.
Corden said that Microsoft has been looking at how Activision Blizzard organizes and manages its franchises. “They are looking at the way Activision does things a lot. They’re looking at the way Blizzard does things a lot because, you know, Halo could function like the Blizzard franchise,” he explained.
The Xbox Two co-host also speculated that Microsoft’s upcoming plans for Blizzard could provide clues about Halo’s future. He suggested that the studio’s approach to expanding franchises through spin-offs may serve as a blueprint for Halo, potentially leading to more projects beyond the mainline games. He brought up the possibility of Halo games developed outside of Halo Studios, mentioning id Software as one example.
