Halo Vet's Bold Idea: Hire Laid-Off Devs for Next Halo

Ever wonder what it takes to make the "greatest Halo game ever"? Activision now has the reins, and one industry veteran has some ideas—including hiring the very people who were just laid off.

Microsoft's plan to cut 3,200 Xbox jobs is still in motion. Earlier this month, 268 employees were let go, many from Halo Studios, the team behind the iconic franchise. Chief content officer Matt Booty said the cuts hit Halo Studios, other first-party teams, and the XGS management layer. Meanwhile, Activision took control of Halo with a bold promise: deliver "the greatest Halo game ever."

So how does Activision get there? Frank O'Connor, who spent nearly 20 years on Halo as a writer and franchise creative director, shared his thoughts on LinkedIn. He laid out three possible paths—though he warns "none of these are easy, guaranteed, or necessarily viable."

First, go back to basics: "Make a 'classic' Halo movement/sandbox/shooter experience tailored to a core audience and scaled to be successful with that core audience and attractive to a broader one so it can grow." He also noted that multiplayer "is better with more people playing, by mathematical default."

Second, take a risk: "Make something new, modern that reinvents the game/universe in a surprising but fantastic way. An action/sandbox game (maybe it's a new take on the FPS, maybe it's an action RPG but it's fundamentally different) and succeeds with a combination of strong story, IP use and gets a small head start based on curiosity or loyalty."

Third, lean into Activision's strengths: "translating" Halo into the publisher's "comfort zone" with "player, progression, and business models that are proven to work" and "a big annual or semi-annual spectacle and constant content." O'Connor cautions against tying the game to hardware launch cycles and dropping Halo's sandbox elements.

His final suggestion? "Hire Bungie, Halo Studios, and other laid-off folk who are bursting with talent and ideas that got nerfed or shut down over the years." It's a hopeful idea, but in today's shaky industry, it feels like a long shot. Still, we can dream—and maybe, just maybe, Activision will deliver that "greatest Halo game ever." What do you think? Will you be picking up the next Halo?