Rumors About New Halo Reboot and Which Games Are Now Cancelled and Shelved

In light of the ongoing restructuring within Xbox, the company has once again announced various reshuffles, layoffs, and even some significant changes. Perhaps the most discussed change is that the Halo franchise has been transferred to Activision, and the next game in the series is expected to take a new direction.

For now, no major details have been revealed, but rumors continue to circulate. Specifically, during a recent Insider Gaming podcast, a well-known insider, Tom Henderson, confirmed Activision’s new Halo game will reboot the series, as you can see from his comments below:

"From what I understand, the Halo franchise is being rebooted"

Tom Warren, The Verge's correspondent, shared additional information on this matter. He claimed Halo Studios had planned to release a new game in the series —the details of which remain unknown—but Microsoft shut down the project. Warren also noted the game was not in the best condition due to regular staff cuts and changes in its management.

According to leaks_infinite, an insider familiar with the franchise, Halo Studios had been discussing the possibility of remaking the second and third games, as well as Halo 7 and various mods, but all projects have been put on hold for now, as Activision will be taking over the franchise.

Effective immediately, all internal projects at Halo Studios have been shelved This includes:

• Halo 2 & 3 remakes
• Halo 7
• Any huge modes planned for it

Activision will be taking over with a new studio that decides what stays, and what goes with a new Halo title.

As for Activision's Halo reboot, it is not yet known which studio will be developing it. But the publisher's plans appear to be ambitious. According to company CEO Rob Kostich, Activision intends to “make the greatest Halo game ever.”

Speaking of Halo Studios, which released Halo: Campaign Evolved this summer, it has undergone another round of layoffs as part of the Xbox restructuring but continues to handle work related to the franchise’s community. According to the latest figures, only 20 people remain at the studio. This year, the studio released Halo: Campaign Evolved, a remake of the original title. Despite fairly positive reviews (80 on Metacritic, 81 on OpenCritic), the game's sales are reportedly extremely low and have fallen short of Microsoft's expectations.