Microsoft is attempting to revitalize the Halo franchise by involving more development studios, according to information from industry insider RebsGaming. Halo Studios reportedly outsourced the majority of development on Campaign Evolved, the remake of the series’ first game, while Microsoft evaluates a potential franchise entry developed by Activision’s Sledgehammer Games.
According to RebsGaming—a YouTube channel with a history of accurate unofficial Halo leaks—Pierre Hintze, current head of Halo Studios, has a primary objective to outsource as much game development work as possible. The in-game credits for Campaign Evolved support this claim, listing at least 15 different external studios, including:
Specific studios reportedly handled entire major areas of the game from start to finish. Virtuos, for example, handled art production across the entire project, including character, vehicle, and world creation.
While outsourcing is not inherently an issue, the insider emphasized the need for strong direction to avoid inconsistencies in the final product, pointing out that Alpha Halo appears differently in the game’s menu compared to its final cutscene.
Following Microsoft’s strategy to expand the number of studios working on the IP, the publisher is evaluating a Halo title from Sledgehammer Games, the Activision studio known for Call of Duty:
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