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Halo 30 Sept 2026, 19:45

Halo: Frank O’Connor names three routes for the next game after Activision report

Halo: Frank O’Connor names three routes for the next game after Activision report

Frank O’Connor outlines three possible directions for the next Halo game, while Brian Jarrard denies a creator blacklist.

  • Two of those routes were described in more detail: a classic Halo approach and a heavily modernized reinvention of the series.
  • Halo community director Brian Jarrard also denied a rumor about a creator blacklist, calling it “annoyingly false”.

What happened

Eurogamer reports that Frank O’Connor responded on LinkedIn to Halo’s future and named three possible directions for the next game. In the same response, he urged Activision to hire developers who were recently laid off from Bungie and Halo Studios.

The article expands on two of the three routes. The first is a classic Halo game that keeps the familiar heavy movement and chaotic sandbox, but scales it up for a broader audience. The second is a much more modern direction, in which Halo or its world is reinvented in a surprising way, for example as a new first-person shooter or as an action-RPG.

The reporting comes amid a broader Xbox restructuring. According to the provided context, O’Connor left 343 Industries in 2023, shortly before the studio was renamed Halo Studios. Around the same time, online rumors surfaced about a possible blacklist of content creators, but Halo community director Brian Jarrard publicly dismissed that claim.

Jarrard wrote on X that there were “too many claims and sources” to address everything immediately, but that this specific rumor was “annoyingly false”. He explicitly said there was no “leadership blacklist” and later thanked everyone who shares feedback in a respectful and constructive way.

Timeline

  • 2023 — Frank O’Connor reportedly leaves 343 Industries, just before the rebrand to Halo Studios.

  • 2026-09-29 — Brian Jarrard responds on X to the blacklist rumor and calls it “annoyingly false”.

  • 2026-09-30 — Eurogamer publishes its article about O’Connor’s LinkedIn response and the three possible routes for the next Halo game.

Background

Frank O’Connor is described in the sources as a long-time Halo veteran who has been tied to the franchise since the Bungie era. The provided context links his 2023 departure to an internal reshuffle at 343 Industries, which later continued as Halo Studios.

The source set also says Microsoft/Xbox wants the next Halo game to be made by a separate, purpose-built team and that Activision is involved. The available material does not confirm which development decision has officially been made, and the exact third route O’Connor mentioned is not fully detailed in the provided excerpt.

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Sources