There’s been a whole bunch of news today amidst job cuts and studio reorganisations over at Xbox, and one of the big stories is that Activision is now becoming responsible for Rare, World’s Edge and making a new Halo game.
It remains to be seen what kind of role Activision will have with Rare (known for Sea Of Thieves, Banjo-Kazooie and many other classic titles) and World’s Edge (Age of Empires, Age of Mythology), but those studios will now report directly to the company – and presumably now have their games published by “Activision” rather than “Xbox”.
As for Halo, Activision’s statement today (penned by president Rob Kostich) mentions that the goal is to “make the greatest Halo game ever, worthy of its universe and legacy”. Here’s a look:
“We’re thrilled to welcome Halo, Rare, and World’s Edge to Activision. It’s an honor and a responsibility that we do not take lightly. These teams and their games have inspired fans around the world for decades.”
“For Halo, our goal is clear: make the greatest Halo game ever, worthy of its universe and legacy, while staying true to what made players love it in the first place. It is a bold ambition, one that this franchise deserves. We have already begun assembling a purpose-built team, unique in capability and talent, ready and excited to deliver this next chapter with the community.”
“To the World’s Edge and Rare teams, we can’t wait to get to work together.”
As mentioned, our big question at the moment is what’s going to happen next with Rare and World’s Edge, and whether their continued focus on the likes of Sea of Thieves and Age of Empires is going to be adjusted going forward.
In terms of Halo, we still don’t really know about this new “purpose-built team” either — are some of them coming over from Halo Studios, or are we talking about a brand-new squad of people who have never worked on Halo before?!
More details will likely be revealed on all of this in the days / weeks / months to come, so we’ll be keeping an eye out for any other key information that lands in the near future. Until then, we’d love to hear your thoughts on this news below.
