Since the (latest) massive restructuring announced yesterday by Microsoft, things are clear: Activision will now be developing Halo, one of the Redmond firm's landmark series. As Maxime explained in his piece, the American manufacturer has decided to gut Halo Studios (formerly 343 Industries) by laying off a large number of employees.
Among them is Josh Daniels, who has had a rather "funny" week. Halo Studios' Cinematic Director published a post on LinkedIn in which he says: "Being promoted and laid off in the same week is pretty wild. I'm one of the many people affected by the layoffs at Halo Studios. I'm going to switch off a bit today, but I'm open to any conversation with anyone looking for someone in cinematic direction or production. Do get in touch if you think I might be a fit for a role."
Activision raring to go
For its part, Activision is already set to welcome Halo, notably with the formation of a team separate from those working on Call of Duty. That said, you'd imagine they'll compare notes on certain fronts, as the Master Chief has undeniably lost some of his lustre in recent years.
In any case, Rob Kostich could hardly be more ambitious. "For Halo, our goal is clear: to create the greatest Halo game of all time, worthy of its universe and its legacy, and true to what built its reputation with players," the Activision president states in an official press release relayed by our colleagues at Variety. "That's an ambition worthy of what this franchise deserves."
What future for Halo?
He goes on: "We've already begun assembling a dedicated team that is skilled, talented and ready to create this new chapter for the community." Promises only bind those who believe them, of course, but this first statement does give the impression that Halo won't be treated as an afterthought.
Besides, according to word from The Hollywood Reporter, we're talking about a canonical entry and not a mere spin-off. Let's hope Microsoft (and now Activision) don't make the same mistakes as with Halo Infinite, whose launch was more than bumpy owing to content deemed too thin on the ground. Although Halo Studios swore blind that post-launch support would run for 10 years, the game ultimately received its final update just 4 years after release.
