Halo Studios Barely Has Any Developers Left Following Layoffs

Halo Studios Reportedly Only Has 20 Developers Left After Mass Layoffs Published Sep 23, 2026, 9:50 AM EDT George is the Lead News Editor for TheGamer, and has been working in the industry since 2021 after graduating from the University of South Wales with a bachelor's degree in Journalism. He has also previously written for RPG Site, WhatCulture, and PlayStation Lifestyle. George is an expert on platformers, action games, and fighters, but tends to play as many releases as possible. This hands-on experience lets him dive into gaming communities and follow the latest trends. Some of the games George has extensively covered first-hand include Dead Rising, Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero, Assassin's Creed Shadows, and Ninja Gaiden 4. Sign in to your TheGamer account Professional Halo player aPureGangster has reported that a “very reputable source” told them that Halo Studios only has 20 developers left after this week’s layoffs. 2026 was already a bad year for Xbox, but things somehow got even worse yesterday when it was confirmed that another massive wave of layoffs and restructuring was hitting the company. While it was horrible news for everyone involved, Halo Studios was undeniably hit the hardest by the “continued reset”. As confirmed by Matt Booty, Activision will be handling the next mainline title instead of the team that’s literally named after the series. That’s bad enough, but the post also confirmed that Halo Studios would be left with a “small team” to continue supporting the “community and games”. As it turns out, small team was putting it very lightly. Halo Studios Layoffs Are Even Worse Than We Thought Only A Skeleton Crew Remains As pointed out by Insider Gaming and originally reported by Technical Halo, pro Halo player aPureGangster claimed that a “very, very reputable source” has told them that Halo Studios will be left with just 20 developers following yesterday’s wave of layoffs. This follows Windows Central claiming that the team was “looking at major layoffs in the 100s”. It’s not clear exactly how many developers were working at Halo Studios prior to the recent layoffs, but if aPureGangster’s source is correct, then Xbox is clearly moving to make them a barely staffed support team. With Activision handling Halo going forward and such a small number of developers remaining, the future of Halo Studios looks very uncertain. Although I’m sure a lot of Halo fans would be quick to suggest that the series hasn’t exactly been at its best under Halo Studios, it’s still devastating to see such a huge number of talented and hard-working developers being pushed out by Xbox so suddenly. Plenty of former studio members have confirmed their departure on LinkedIn, including some who have been with the franchise for a long time. Halo: Campaign Evolved 4.0/5 Released July 28, 2026 Developer(s) Halo Studios Publisher(s) Microsoft Studios Multiplayer Online Co-Op, Local Co-Op Cross-Platform Play Yes - all platforms Genre(s) FPS, Science Fiction, Shooter, Multiplayer