Mike Brown, a veteran of Playground Games and former director of the Forza Horizon series, has suggested he would be interested in developing an open-world Halo title. Brown, who founded the studio Maverick Games in 2022, made the comments during a recent episode of the MinnMax podcast.
While discussing his career and the launch of his new project, Clutch, Brown identified himself as a long-time Halo fan. When asked by host Ben Hanson how he would respond if approached by Xbox to lead the next entry in the franchise, Brown delivered a lighthearted pitch addressed to Xbox boss Asha Sharma.
"Asha, if you want to reach out about us doing an open-world Halo game with a disproportionate level of driving versus other stuff, then reach out and I'll give you a pitch for it," Brown said. The suggestion was met with humor by his team, with Clutch Art Director Ben Penrose joking that the concept would simply involve "putting cars" into a massive Halo ring.
Contextualizing the "Pitch"
The exchange was presented as a joke between the participants, though it highlighted a recurring discussion regarding the future of the Halo brand. Xbox has previously confirmed its intent to keep its major franchises, including Gears of War, Forza, and Halo, at the forefront of its platform strategy.
Brown’s current focus remains on Clutch, an open-world driving game scheduled for release in spring 2027. Despite the informal nature of the comments, the prospect of a Halo spinoff focused on vehicular gameplay has drawn comparisons to other existing franchise expansions, such as Star Wars: Galactic Racer.
Current Status of Halo
As of July 2026, the primary focus for the Halo franchise remains Halo: Campaign Evolved, which is currently available for Xbox Series X|S. While fans continue to speculate on the future of the series, no official announcements regarding new spinoffs or changes in leadership for the franchise have been made by Microsoft or Xbox leadership.