The future of Halo has just taken a major turn. Xbox has officially confirmed that the next Halo game is in development under Activision, with a brand-new purpose-built team being assembled specifically to work on the franchise.
The announcement arrived as part of Microsoft’s latest Xbox restructuring on September 22, 2026. Xbox confirmed that Activision will develop the next Halo title, while a smaller team at Halo Studios will continue supporting existing Halo games and the community.
That makes this more than another rumor about Halo’s future. A new Halo game is officially being developed, although Microsoft has not revealed its title, release date, gameplay or platforms.
Activision Is Making the Next Halo
According to Xbox’s official announcement, Activision will develop the next Halo title through a new, purpose-built team.
Xbox specifically says the team will be separate from Activision’s ongoing development and plans for Call of Duty. That means Microsoft is not simply assigning an existing Call of Duty development team to Halo; instead, a dedicated group is being assembled for the franchise.
Activision president Rob Kostich also said the company’s goal is to create what he described as the “greatest Halo game ever”, while remaining faithful to the elements that players associate with the franchise.
However, the identity of the new development team has not yet been publicly disclosed.
Halo Studios Is Changing Its Role
The announcement also significantly changes the role of Halo Studios, the studio formerly known as 343 Industries.
Xbox says a small team at Halo Studios will continue supporting the Halo community and games that are already on the market. The studio had previously announced a broader strategy involving multiple Halo projects and Unreal Engine 5.
Halo Studios’ official website had previously stated that multiple projects were in development using Unreal Engine. That earlier pipeline included Halo: Campaign Evolved, the modernized version of Halo: Combat Evolved.
The latest restructuring means the next major Halo title will now be developed under Activision rather than remaining solely with Halo Studios.
What Kind of Halo Game Is Being Made?
This is one of the biggest unanswered questions.
Xbox has confirmed the existence and development structure of the next Halo title, but it has not announced the game’s name, setting, story, gameplay style or whether it will continue the Master Chief’s story.
There is also no official confirmation regarding whether this will be:
- A new mainline Halo sequel
- A reboot
- A major new campaign
- A multiplayer-focused project
- A completely new direction for the franchise
For now, Xbox is only officially calling it the next Halo title.
That means reports or social-media posts claiming a specific storyline or setting should be treated separately from the confirmed information.
What About Master Chief?
Master Chief remains the most recognizable character in Halo, but Microsoft has not confirmed whether he will be the protagonist of the new game.
The same applies to characters such as Cortana, the Arbiter and other established Halo figures.
Because Xbox has not revealed the story, there is currently no official basis for saying that the next game will continue directly from Halo Infinite or follow an entirely new cast.
Will It Use Unreal Engine 5?
This is another area where the latest announcement creates uncertainty.
Halo Studios announced in 2024 that future Halo projects would use Unreal Engine 5, with Project Foundry serving as a research and development effort for the studio’s transition to Unreal.
However, the new next-Halo project is now being led by a purpose-built Activision team.
Xbox has not confirmed which engine this new team will use.
Therefore, it would be inaccurate to state that the next Halo game is definitely using Unreal Engine 5 until Microsoft or Activision provides confirmation.
When Will the New Halo Game Release?
There is currently no release date or release window.
Xbox has not announced when the game will launch, and the new development team has only recently been publicly confirmed.
There is also no official gameplay trailer or consumer platform announcement.
Therefore, claims that the next Halo game will release in 2027, 2028 or another specific year should not be presented as confirmed information.
Why This Is a Major Change for Halo
The change is significant because Halo has been closely associated with 343 Industries and then Halo Studios since Bungie’s departure from the franchise.
Now, Xbox is putting the next major Halo project under Activision while retaining a smaller Halo Studios team for ongoing support. The restructuring also eliminated 268 roles across Halo Studios, other first-party studios and Xbox Game Studios’ management and central functions.
At the same time, Xbox says Activision’s new Halo team will operate separately from its Call of Duty development plans.
The result is a very different development structure for one of Microsoft’s most recognizable gaming franchises.
The Next Chapter of Halo
For fans, the most important confirmation is simple: Halo is continuing with a new game officially in development.
But almost everything about that game remains under wraps.
There is no confirmed title, story, release date, gameplay footage, platform list or protagonist. What we do know is that Activision is assembling a dedicated team to develop the next Halo title, while Halo Studios continues supporting the existing ecosystem.
The next major reveal will likely answer the questions fans have been asking for years: What is the new Halo game, who is making it, and where will the franchise go next?
For now, Microsoft’s confirmation marks the beginning of a new development era for Halo.
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