A report suggests a small team at Halo Studios is finishing one final substantial update for Halo: Campaign Evolved before the studio is likely closed. The group is separate from Activision, which now controls the Halo franchise and is assembling a new team for its future projects.
That transition may also explain why Halo Studios recently published concept art linked to a possible sequel to Halo Infinite—a project that now appears unlikely to proceed. For fans, the result could be a lengthy wait for Activision’s version of the series.
On October 6, 2026, Halo reporter Rebs Gaming shared a new video report claiming that approximately 30 developers who were not affected by recent Xbox layoffs are still working on Halo: Campaign Evolved.
The report says Halo Studios head Pierre Hintze is leading the remaining team. Its immediate responsibilities reportedly include supporting the upcoming Halo Fest event and preparing one last free content update for the recently released remake.
Campaign Evolved may receive Firefight and Theater Mode
This is described as more than a routine patch. The proposed update could add Firefight, the wave-based combat mode featured in earlier entries such as Halo: Reach, alongside Theater Mode. Both additions would expand the remake’s replay value, although the plans may change depending on what the small team can complete.
The team is reportedly expected to finish its Halo Fest work in December before completing the update. After that, the studio could be shut down entirely.
The report also claims that the developers remaining on Halo: Campaign Evolved have no involvement with Activision’s new Halo group. There reportedly is no direct move of Halo Studios staff into the team being formed to develop the franchise’s next chapter.
Activision’s Halo could take a different direction
Earlier reports have suggested that Activision is toying with doing a soft or total reboot of the franchise. If that direction is accurate, the next Halo game may be many years away and could share little with the sequel ideas previously considered by Halo Studios.
Some insight into those abandoned plans arrived through a recent development blog post. In a big blog post earlier this week, Halo Studios showed concept art depicting Forerunner structures, alien environments and other possible elements for a future mainline game.
The images are understood to represent ideas for a theoretical Halo 7 or Halo Infinite sequel. Once again, Rebs claims that one image showing enormous trees in a swamp-like area on Zeta Halo came from an idea developed by former Halo lead Joseph Staten.
That concept reportedly predates Staten’s departure from the studio in 2023, following the release of Halo Infinite. Other artwork was created later, while Halo Studios continued exploring what Halo 7 might become.
One reported concept featured a Banished Skiff travelling among giant trees. The associated post says the image was connected to ideas Joseph Staten had been developing for a potential Halo Infinite sequel.
A tantalising glimpse at unused Halo ideas
There is no indication that Activision intends to use these concepts in its own Halo project. That may please players who were dissatisfied with parts of 343 Industries and Halo Studios’ stewardship of the series, but the material is still significant for anyone interested in the franchise’s development history.
The artwork also offers a glimpse of the Endless, an alien race introduced in Halo Infinite that was apparently unaffected by the Halo rings. The Endless could have become central to cancelled Halo Infinite downloadable content, or connected the game’s legendary ending with a future Halo 7.
For now, those possibilities appear to be finished. The remaining developers face an uncertain future, while players may be waiting many years before the next major Halo game takes shape. Readers tracking the broader arcade and gaming news landscape can also explore RETROCADE’s arcade videos and arcade machine buying guide while the franchise’s next chapter develops.
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