Halo moves to Call of Duty's Activision

The XBOX brand's reset under Asha Sharma continues with Tuesday's announcement of further layoffs and Halo moving to Activision, the developer of Call of Duty (COD).

“We’re thrilled to welcome Halo, Rare, and World’s Edge to Activision. It’s an honor and a responsibility that we do not take lightly. These teams and their games have inspired fans around the world for decades,” Rob Kostich, the Activision president, said in a statement. “For Halo, our goal is clear: make the greatest Halo game ever, worthy of its universe and legacy, while staying true to what made players love it in the first place. It is a bold ambition, one that this franchise deserves. We have already begun assembling a purpose-built team, unique in capability and talent, ready and excited to deliver this next chapter with the community. To the World’s Edge and Rare teams, we can’t wait to get to work together.”

As I've written previously, my XBOX journey began with Halo: Combat Evolved in 2002.

As a Mac User since 1995, I vividly remember Apple CEO Steve Jobs announcing Halo at MacWorld 1999 before Microsoft bought Bungie, much to Jobs' chagrin. From the opening scene, I was captivated by Master Chief and Cortana's space opera adventure. Bungie's seminal first-person shooter (FPS) was an XBOX killer app and system seller.

My original XBOX had a faulty power cord (it could have overheated and caught fire). Essentially worthless, I disposed of the console in 2005. So, I traded in my XBOX video games, including Halo: Combat Evolved and Dead or Alive 3.

For almost a decade, I played exclusively on PlayStation. Then, I unexpectedly won an XBOX 360 S after entering a LOVEFiLM (now Prime Video) competition in 2012. The XBOX 360 era introduced me to Mass Effect, BioShock, and Call of Duty, and my unexpected XBOX homecoming culminated with Halo 4. Meanwhile, my PlayStation 3 (PS3) gathered dust.

The Halo brand has been mismanaged for years, and generations of gamers only know Master Chief from Fortnite. Bungie split from Microsoft in 2007, developing Destiny for Activision, and is now part of PlayStation Studios. Going forward, Activision will take over the Halo franchise from Halo Studios (formerly 343 Industries). Raven Software could be a good fit for Halo: I reviewed the studio's Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy.

Whatever happens, let's hope the next Halo is not filled with microtransactions.

What do you think about Halo moving to Activision? Let me know in the comments below.