Former Halo Creative Director Calls on Activision to Bring Back Laid-Off Developers to Work on the Series

Gamers rejoiced when Microsoft took Halo from Halo Studios, and now Frank O'Connor is asking to return the series to these people.

Former Halo creative director Frank O'Connor shared his suggestions for the future of the series after control of the franchise passed to Activision. In his opinion, the company should pay attention to developers who previously worked on Halo and Bungie, but lost their jobs due to recent layoffs.

In a LinkedIn post, O'Connor suggested that Activision consider three possible directions for the next Halo. The first option is to return to the classic formula of the series with an emphasis on familiar movement, gunfights, and sandbox mechanics. The second is to completely rethink the franchise and create something fundamentally new, such as an action game with RPG elements. The third path is to adapt Halo to Activision's proven model with progression, continuous content releases, and business mechanics that the company uses in its large multiplayer projects.

O'Connor separately listed two things that, in his opinion, Activision should avoid. He urged not to tie Halo's development to the launch cycles of new hardware and services.

The former developer paid special attention to personnel. O'Connor suggested that Activision “hire Bungie, Halo Studios, and other laid-off people” who, he says, possess a wealth of talent and ideas that did not get a chance to be realized in the past.