Halo's cinematic director was promoted and fired in the same week as Xbox handed Halo over to Activision
Xbox has now cut 268 more positions across its studios and handed Halo to Activision. The cuts are part of the ongoing “Xbox Reset,” which resulted in the elimination of 268 roles across Halo Studios and its management layer, according to a September 22 memo titled “Continuing Our Reset.”
A promotion and a layoff in the same week
According to the announcement, Activision will develop the next Halo game. Activision now holds the reins of the Call of Duty and Halo franchises and will help create the next mainline Halo game through what Xbox executive Matt Booty calls “a new purpose-built team separate from ongoing development and plans for Call of Duty.” Halo Studios, however, has not been shuttered; a small team remains to support the community and previously released games.
Meanwhile, Halo veteran Josh Daniels was promoted to cinematic director at Halo Studios and fired in the very same week. To express his frustration, he took to LinkedIn to share the news of his termination. In his LinkedIn post, Josh wrote:
“Promoted and laid off in the same week is pretty wild. I’m one of the many hit by the Halo Studio layoffs. I’ll be taking some offline time today, but I'd love to talk to anyone looking for Cinematic Direction or Production roles. Feel free to get in touch if anything looks like I might be a fit.”
Activision president Rob Kostich, meanwhile, spoke to GameFile and shared a mission statement for the publisher’s plans for Halo. He said:
“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.”
However, despite the announcement, which can be read by fans as bluster, no codename, full team roster, release window, or gameplay details have been announced for the project.
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