Halo Studios has been hit by layoffs days after releasing Halo: Campaign Evolved, the first game in the franchise to launch on a PlayStation console. It is the latest step in Xbox’s retreat from console exclusivity.
Several current and former employees confirmed on LinkedIn on Thursday that their time at the studio had ended. Insider Gaming was first to report the posts.
Who has confirmed leaving
Nick Treitman, a producer who spent 6.5 years on Halo, said he was affected by the round.
After 6.5 years working on Halo and dodging just as many rounds of layoffs – it has finally caught up to me. I have nothing but love for Halo and the folks at the studio, this is just a tough reality in the gaming industry right now.
Paul Morris, listed as a scrum master, said his role had ended too; he was a contractor.
Today, I learned my time at Halo Studios will be coming to an end following the successful launch of our latest game, Halo: Campaign Evolved.
Software engineer Caleb Lawrence has also listed himself as available for work.
Why Halo Studios
Microsoft has not confirmed the cuts or their size. They arrive inside the company’s planned programme of 3,200 redundancies, 1,600 of which were made in July.
Windows Central reports the remake’s development was troubled throughout. It was built on a modified version of the Halo: Reach-era Blam engine with Unreal Engine 5 graphics layered on top. Third-party studio Abstraction was brought in to help, missed its deadlines, and was removed from the project; Halo Studios scrapped much of the work and rebuilt the assets itself.
The reports claim the campaign absorbed more resources than planned, and that other projects paid for it — including a Halo multiplayer game that was cancelled. The pattern has precedent: Halo Infinite’s development went similarly sideways, right down to the engine, which was Blam with a new name.
What’s next
Neither Microsoft nor Halo Studios has commented. Insider Gaming says it will keep monitoring the story. What the studio makes next is unclear; its most recent talking point was Campaign Evolved’s secret ending, which revived Halo 2 remake rumours.
Campaign Evolved is out now on PS5, Xbox Series X|S and PC, from around AED 210 at UAE retailers.
Were the layoffs linked to Campaign Evolved’s performance?
Nobody has said so. Neither Microsoft nor Halo Studios has linked the cuts to the game’s sales or reviews, and no official statement has been issued. The layoffs follow reports of a troubled development and sit within Microsoft’s wider redundancy programme.
How many staff has Halo Studios lost?
The figure is unconfirmed. At least three people have confirmed exits on LinkedIn — producer Nick Treitman, scrum master Paul Morris and software engineer Caleb Lawrence — and other employees have marked themselves available for work.
What is Halo: Campaign Evolved?
It is a ground-up remake of the original Halo: Combat Evolved, released on July 28, 2026 for PS5, Xbox Series X|S and PC — the first Halo game to appear on a PlayStation console.
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