Updated
Updated · Eurogamer.net · Aug 17
Xbox Cancels Sledgehammer's Halo Prototype After June Tests as Microsoft Weighs $68.7 Billion Activision Tie-Up
Updated
Updated · Eurogamer.net · Aug 17

Xbox Cancels Sledgehammer's Halo Prototype After June Tests as Microsoft Weighs $68.7 Billion Activision Tie-Up

3 articles · Updated · Eurogamer.net · Aug 17

Summary

  • Xbox shelved Sledgehammer Games' Halo multiplayer prototype in July after testing an early build in June, with the project never advancing beyond basic blockout gameplay.
  • Rebs Gaming, citing a source it said had previously provided accurate Halo information, reported Microsoft had asked the Call of Duty studio to explore a Halo multiplayer pitch.
  • The cancellation does not end Activision's Halo prospects: Microsoft is still considering whether Activision studios should help develop future Halo games, but has not approved any project.
  • The report points to broader outsourcing around Halo development and comes as Microsoft reassesses Xbox strategy after its 2023 $68.7 billion Activision Blizzard acquisition and 3,200 division-wide layoffs.

Insights

Why did Microsoft quietly kill an early Halo prototype, and what does this mean for the survival of the iconic sci-fi shooter?
Will Call of Duty creators take over Xbox's biggest franchise, or is Halo's multiplayer future doomed to remain in development limbo?