Following the public launch of Halo: Campaign Evolved on July 28, 2026, multiple employees at Xbox Game Studios developer Halo Studios—formerly known as 343 Industries—have announced they were laid off. The job cuts arrive alongside mixed reviews across all platforms and lower-than-expected sales numbers for the new first-person shooter.

Quick Facts

  • Developer: Halo Studios
  • Publisher: Microsoft Studios
  • Release Date: July 28, 2026
  • Platforms: Xbox Series, Windows, Steam, PlayStation 5
  • Multiplayer: Online Co-Op, Local Co-Op, Cross-Platform Play

Sales and Performance Context

Data from a July Alinea Analytics report revealed that Halo: CE sold 900,000 copies on Xbox Series and Windows platforms, 425,000 copies on PlayStation 5, and 212,000 copies on Steam. The remake notably sold fewer copies in July than Palworld, Minecraft, and Grand Theft Auto 5 on PS5. Reviews for the title have been mixed across all platforms.

While the layoffs have not been officially tied to the remake's earnings, the cuts follow a broader Microsoft initiative to reduce 4,800 jobs by the end of the 2027 fiscal year, with 3,200 coming from Xbox. Halo Studios previously suffered job losses in 2023 and 2025, leaving the studio with only a few hundred staff members as of summer 2025.

Impacted Halo Studios Staff

Several team members took to LinkedIn to announce their departures following the Campaign Evolved launch:

  • Paul Morris: Worked as a Scrum Master starting in 2024 on Halo Infinite and CE, having previously served as a Test Associate on earlier franchise entries including Halo 2, Halo 3, and Halo: Reach.
  • Nick Treitman: Worked as a Playtest Coordinator, Associate Producer, and Producer for Halo Studios starting in 2020.
  • Caleb Lawrence: Worked as a Software Engineer on Halo Infinite and CE starting in 2022.

It remains unknown if additional employees at the studio have been affected by the latest round of cuts.

Studio Future and Canceled Projects

Amid development challenges with Campaign Evolved, the studio's next multiplayer project, Project Ekur, was canceled. Reports indicate CE was initially built primarily by external developers Abstraction and Virtuos under an aggressive timeline before Halo Studios ended the contract midway and rushed to redo the work internally.

Rumors suggest Halo Studios' future pipeline may include a Halo 2 remake, a Halo 3 remake, and a new ODST-centered game. However, it is unconfirmed whether future remakes will launch on PlayStation platforms given the sales performance of Campaign Evolved and Gears of War: Reloaded.