XBOX says Activision is making next Halo title; leaks suggest soft or full reboot
On 2026-10-03 XBOX announced changes at Halo Studios and confirmed the next Halo game will be developed by Activision, and leaker RebsGaming reported the project has been in development for some time with gameplay prototypes already created.
RebsGaming posted: "I’m told it’s too early to know for sure what the next Halo campaign will be because nothing is set in stone. But it sounds like Activision will reboot at least part of Halo’s story because they’re considering a soft reboot and…" and said the studio had run extended development work and built early prototypes. According to the report, those prototypes were produced by Sledgehammer Games, which the article notes is best known for several Call of Duty titles. The report frames the early work as tests of gameplay mechanics for multiple concepts rather than a single finished direction.
The leak describes an initial Activision pitch that comprised two standalone Halo projects: one designed as a free-to-play multiplayer title and a separate game focused entirely on a single-player story campaign. RebsGaming’s account specifies that the multiplayer concept and the campaign concept were conceived as distinct products during early planning. Sledgehammer Games' prototypes reportedly covered gameplay approaches for both the multiplayer and the campaign concepts.
Development plans are said to have shifted away from two separate releases toward a single full-featured game, according to the same source. The report adds that the campaign element of that consolidated title might receive a soft reboot, "potentially ignoring the events that happened in Halo Infinite," while preserving the earlier Halo timeline intact. Those details come from the leaked material and are not presented as official positions from the studios.
RebsGaming also claimed Activision may be weighing a larger change: a complete reboot centered on Master Chief’s origin story. That specific possibility is described in the leak but has not been confirmed by Activision or XBOX in official statements included in the article.
The article reiterates that the information originates from leaked reports and unverified tweets, and it notes that Activision has nevertheless "officially confirmed it is working on a new Halo title, although gameplay details remain under wraps." The reports of a soft reboot or a full origin-focused reboot remain unconfirmed by Activision and XBOX.
Activision’s confirmation that a new Halo game is in development stands as the only official detail cited; the studio and XBOX have not released further public information about the project's structure, campaign scope, or whether the company will pursue the soft reboot or a full-origin reboot described in the leaks.