Could one of Activision’s studios ever develop a Halo game? That’s the question that Xbox Games Studio boss Matt Booty was asked this week, as ever since Microsoft announced its plans to acquire Activision Blizzard, fans have been speculating about a Halo game possibly being developed by a Call of Duty studio. While that might be a dream pairing, for Xbox, it’s a project that it would only pursue if one of its studios expressed a desire for it.
“If something like that were to happen, it would have to come from the studios,” Booty said to Axios. “It’s unlikely that we would come in and dictate that from the top.”
Since Destiny 2 and Marathon developer Bungie left the franchise after Halo: Reach, mainline entries in the series have been handled by 343 Industries. The most recent entry in the franchise, Halo Infinite, has had a rocky post-launch existence and 343 Industries has suffered high-profile senior staff departures–Joseph Staten, Frank O’Connor, and David Ellis have all left–in addition to recent layoffs at Microsoft.