Former Halo Boss Outlines Three Futures for Activision's Take on the Series

Frank O'Connor, who spent nearly 20 years as Halo's franchise creative director, has laid out three possible directions for the series now under Activision's control, per IGN.

O'Connor left 343 Industries, now rebranded as Halo Studios, in 2023. He shared his thoughts in a LinkedIn discussion, as reported by both IGN and Kotaku.

He suggested the first path would be a classic Halo shooter aimed at the core fanbase but designed to attract a wider audience. The second option would be a bold reinvention, possibly as an action RPG or a new type of FPS, leveraging the IP's story and universe.

The third route, according to O'Connor, would be to adapt Halo into Activision's established model. He advised using proven player progression and monetization systems to deliver a major, regularly updated live-service experience.

O'Connor also offered a key piece of advice, per Kotaku: hire back talented developers recently laid off from Bungie and Halo Studios. He warned against tying the next game to a hardware launch cycle or abandoning Halo's signature sandbox gameplay.