Insiders: Halo Studios cut to skeleton crew and Halo series passed to Activision

GG Brief Editorial Desk · AI-assisted, source attributed

PC Gamer reports that insiders say Microsoft reduced Halo Studios to a skeleton crew and handed the Halo series to Activision, and that the next Halo game was reportedly years away. According to the same PC Gamer report, sources including The Verge's Tom Warren and YouTuber Rebs Gaming said Halo Studios had ambitious plans but nothing in active production when cuts happened. Insiders told PC Gamer the layoffs surprised staff and that the first public notice came via an Xbox blog before employees received individual notifications. PC Gamer's article was published on 25 September 2026 and characterizes these claims as coming from insiders rather than official company statements.

• What happened: PC Gamer reports insiders say Microsoft cut Halo Studios down to a skeleton crew and transferred the Halo franchise to Activision, and that the next Halo game was reportedly years away.
• Why it matters: The PC Gamer story, citing sources such as The Verge's Tom Warren and Rebs Gaming, portrays a studio that had plans but no active production at the time of the cuts, which frames the reported handoff and delay.
• Context: PC Gamer attributes the details to insider accounts and notes employees were reportedly surprised; sources told PC Gamer that the first public communication came in a blog post from Xbox before individual employee notifications.
• What next: PC Gamer's reporting does not confirm an official production timeline, a release date for a new Halo title, or an official statement from Microsoft or Activision about next steps.