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Microsoft Hands Halo Over to Activision in Latest Xbox Shake-up - IGN Daily Fix
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XBOX chief content officer Matt Booty has confirmed more layoffs and restructuring as part of the gaming division's "reset", including the next Halo game being developed by Activision.
This is expected to be a game playable on Microsoft's next-gen console XBOX Project Helix, which is already "deep in development" after being officially teased, sparking speculation about the console's release date, price, specs and hardware.
Reports suggest the console could be a hybrid gaming PC and backwards compatibility is also expected to remain a major part of Microsoft's next-generation XBOX strategy.
Indy100's XBOX Project Helix live blog below has all the latest confirmed announcements, release date and pricing updates, hardware reports, alleged specifications, disc drive news, backwards compatibility developments, Game Pass changes and the latest leaks and rumours.
Next Halo, likely for XBOX Project Helix, will be developed by Activision
Matt Booty, XBOX chief content officer, has confirmed more layoffs and restructuring as part of the gaming division's "reset", including the next Halo game being developed by Activision.
In an email to employees shared publicly by XBOX, Booty said: "We are eliminating 268 roles across Halo Studios, other first-party studios and the XGS (XBOX Game Studios) management and central functions layer."
Activision will develop the next Halo game with a small team at Halo Studios continuing to support the community and games that have already released. Its remit will expand to include World's Edge (Age of Empires) and Rare (Sea of Thieves).
Bethesda will expand to include Obsidian which will continue work on its current projects including the new Fallout "project" and Grounded.
King will have Microsoft Casual Games with Playground and Turn 10 coming together as one studio to focus on Forza and Fable.
Undead Labs has gone independent and will release State of Decay 3 with a new publisher day one on Game Pass.
However two separate agreements for Ninja Theory (Hellblade) fell through with XBOX proposing this studio now shuts. Talks with Arkane (Deathloop, Dishonored) are still ongoing.
Elsewhere from Indy100:
- In Pictures: All the new IKEA XBOX home gaming collection pieces
- New Fallout game from Obsidian has got everyone saying the same thing
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