Rumor: New Halo multiplayer could be built by a Call of Duty studio

The Halo franchise is going through its toughest period yet: the 2021 shooter Infinite failed to meet expectations, the TV series flopped, and the July remake of the first game, Campaign Evolved, went largely unnoticed, with estimated sales of just over a million copies. Meanwhile, Halo Studios (formerly 343 Industries) is reportedly facing massive layoffs.

Against this backdrop, Xbox is considering the most radical options, up to handing Halo over to the shooter specialists at Activision Blizzard. Windows Central editor Jez Corden was the first to report this possibility several weeks ago, and now insider RebsGaming, who has been growing increasingly active in the Halo community, has confirmed his words. According to RebsGaming, Corden is 100% right, and the insider goes further, suggesting that the multiplayer modes of the new game could be developed by Sledgehammer Games — a studio that has spent years working on the Call of Duty franchise.

The informant claims that Sledgehammer's team worked on a prototype for the next Halo from June, but it was scrapped in July. That said, this does not mean the studio won't be able to pitch another concept down the line.

Previously, RebsGaming reported that Halo Studios suffered a crushing failure in its attempts to create an online Halo game, abandoned several concepts, and shelved plans to release remakes of the second and third installments. It's worth remembering that the original creator of Halo was Bungie, which later came under the umbrella of Sony.