Microsoft hands Halo to Activision, demotes Halo Studios to a support team amid 268 layoffs

Microsoft has placed the Halo series under Activision, with a new purpose-built team separate from Call of Duty development making the next Halo game, while Halo Studios becomes a small team supporting existing Halo games. The company is laying off 268 people across Halo Studios, other first-party studios and the XGS management and central functions layer, and it is not yet clear who is affected. The move follows July's announcement of 1,600 job cuts, part of plans to reduce the workforce by 3,200 over the financial year.