Could Activision Make A Halo Game If Merger Goes Through? Xbox Responds

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.

Even if one of Activision's Call of Duty studios would be interested in taking on the challenge of Halo, a few other hurdles stand in Microsoft's way as it attempts to close the deal on the $68.7 billion acquisition. Legally, the deal has hit snags in the US and the UK.

In the US, a federal court has temporarily prevented Microsoft from completing its acquisition and the Federal Trade Commission is attempting to stop Microsoft from finalizing its deal before the deadline of July 18. Microsoft says that the injunction is actually a good thing, as it'll now speed up the legal process as it prepares to present its case in federal court. Across the pond in the UK, the CMA has blocked the merger and that decision is now being appealed by both Microsoft and Activision.

As for Halo, the franchise was a no-show during the June Xbox Showcase--it was present at Ubisoft Forward to help hype a Brawlhalla crossover--although Halo Infinite will receive new content when its Season 4 update arrives June 20. Microsoft also recently confirmed that 343 Industries remains "critically important" to the future of Halo, after earlier reports claimed that the studio would be taken off the mainline series and that it would oversee the development of new Halo games.