Xbox hands Halo and Rare to Activision amid 268 layoffs
The gist
Xbox cut 268 roles and transferred Halo and Rare ownership to Activision in September.
The move reshapes who makes the next Halo game.
How it unfolded
- Sep 22, 2026Xbox announced 268 role eliminations across Halo Studios, other first-party studios and the XGS management and central functions layer, and transferred ownership of the Halo franchise and Rare to Activision. A new purpose-built team at Activision will develop the next Halo title.
- Nov 2, 2026A Modern Warfare 4 update shipped, including randomized UAV Tower spawns reduced by 40% in DMZ, Sedative Inhaler duration doubled from 60 to 120 seconds, and initial Shipment spawn adjustments.
- Nov 3, 2026Notebookcheck reported Circana analysis finding Call of Duty reached a smaller share of active console players at MW4's launch than at Black Ops 7's release, while around 72% of MW4 Steam user reviews were positive versus 38% for Black Ops 7.
Key terms
- UAV Tower
- Incidents in which unmanned aircraft without a pilot on board enter an area, often controlled remotely or autonomously.
Source: Wikipedia