Frank O’Connor, creative director of the Halo franchise for nearly 20 years at 343 Industries/Halo Studios (who, fun fact, was once my colleague at Official Xbox Magazine), has weighed in on the future of Halo at Activision, suggesting three viable paths for Xbox’s former biggest franchise.
O’Connor, who left 343 Industries in 2023, was responding to a LinkedIn post from former Xbox social media manager of executive communications Genevieve Harrison about Halo’s move to Activision. Harrison was discussing how Activision might approach Halo and said in part: “Talent is not a SharePoint folder that you drag from /Call of Duty to /Halo and wait for the little green checkmark. What Activision knows how to do is handle the absolute hell of a giant franchise. Perhaps this operational discipline is exactly what Halo needs. I hope that’s the case because I would love another great Halo game.”
O’Connor, who got his start on the Halo franchise when he left Official Xbox Magazine to join Bungie during the development of Halo 2, responded with his thoughts on what’s next for the series under its new developer and publisher. “There are three paths, any of them COULD be successful,” he said. “None of these solutions are easy, guaranteed, or necessarily viable: 1. Create a “classic” Halo motion/sandbox/shooter experience tailored to a target audience and tailored to succeed with that core audience and appeal to a broader audience so it can grow (not to mention the obvious fact that Halo MP is better with more people playing, by mathematical default).
“2. Create something new, modern that >reinvents< the game/universe in a surprising but fantastic way. An action/sandbox game (maybe it's a new take on FPS, maybe an action RPG but it's fundamentally different) and succeeds with a combination of strong story, use of intellectual property and taking a small head start based on curiosity or loyalty.
“3. Translate Halo IP and sandbox into the ATVI comfort zone. Use the proven player, progression, and business models and create a great annual or bi-annual show and consistent content. Pro tip: Do NOT tie it to hardware/service release cycles, don’t try to force it into a form (or aging platform) that it can’t adapt to, and DON’T abandon the sandbox. Pro tip: hire Bungie, Halo Studios and other licensed people full of talent and ideas that have been nerfed or shut down over the years.
Halo Studios underwent a rebranding effort (from 343 Industries), a leadership shakeup, and a pivot to Unreal Engine as the underlying gaming technology in 2024, and shipped the multiplayer-less remake of the original Halo, called Halo: Campaign Evolved, earlier this year. However, the studio was reportedly years away from its next mainline project Halo, before Xbox CEO Asha Sharma and Xbox COO Matt Booty’s decision to hand Halo over to the House of Call of Duty. I’ve since written about whether or not Activision can save Halo, but I’m not as convinced on the creative side, while my colleague Matt Purslow has written about how, no matter what, Halo needs to move beyond Bungie’s original model.
Ryan McCaffrey is IGN’s senior preview editor and host of IGN’s weekly Xbox show, Unblocked Podcastand co-host of Next generation console watch. He’s a North Jersey guy, so it’s “Taylor’s ham”, not “pork roll”. Debate with him on Twitter at @DMC_Ryan.
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