Call of Duty developer reportedly considering Halo reboot with Master Chief origin story

Call of Duty developer Activision is reportedly rebooting the Halo series in the franchise's next game, exploring the origin story of Master Chief.

When it comes to iconic first-person shooter franchises, Halo and Call of Duty are right up there, both revolutionising the first-person shooter genre in their own way.

As fun as Halo: Campaign Evolved is, its sales performance hasn't seemingly matched expectations. There were suggestions that sales never really took off across the board, while SteamDB shows an all-time concurrent peak of just 25,376 players, with the game now attracting just hundreds of players, barely consistently.

Halo Studios faced turmoil following Campaign Evolved launch

The early struggles sparked speculation of a major restructuring at Halo Studios, with Call of Duty developers potentially being brought in. That soon became reality, with Microsoft closing multiple studios and confirming major changes to the developer formerly known as 343 Industries.

"Activision will also be developing the next Halo title, led by a new, purpose-built team that is separate from ongoing development and plans for Call of Duty," a note issued by Xbox's Matt Booty said. "A small team at Halo Studios will continue supporting the Halo community and games in-market."

According to industry insider and YouTuber Rebs Gaming, sources have notified him that it now looks like that new game may be a soft reboot that will explore Master Chief’s origin story.

John-117’s origins are only briefly explored in the games, but they’re covered in much greater detail in Eric Nylund’s novel Halo: The Fall of Reach. If you’re a Halo fan and haven’t read it, I’d highly recommend it, and there’s also an audiobook version.

Of course, it’s worth keeping in mind that at this time, this report needs to be taken with a pinch of salt for now. As soon as we get official confirmation, we’ll let you know right away.

READ MORE: Halo: Combat Evolved is now playable for free in your browser, complete with 128-player multiplayer

Could Activision be the right move for Halo?

That remains to be seen. However, many would probably agree that since 343 Industries took over as the franchise’s main developer, Halo has never quite been the same. Even the rebranding to Halo Studios didn't exactly change that.

The original Halo trilogy is widely considered the peak of the series, as is the prequel, Halo: Reach. You could even argue that at least three of those four Bungie games rank among the best games ever made. But can we honestly say the same about 343’s efforts?

Perhaps the studio’s strongest work was Halo Infinite’s campaign. It was a fun experience, but it never really set the series alight and certainly wasn't the soft reboot Microsoft likely hoped for. Now, with 343 Industries gone and Halo Studios facing major changes, it remains to be seen what Call of Duty’s developer can bring to the franchise.

We really hope it’s not too late for Halo and the Master Chief, because they both deserve better.