Microsoft Creating a Halo-Only Studio?

It’s no secret that Halo is one of the biggest franchises in gaming and one of Microsoft’s biggest cash cows. The Halo trilogy has already netted the company a boatload of cash, and the upcoming Halo Wars will likely grow that bottom line substantially.

Of course, the main problem with continuing the Halo franchise is that Bungie, the studio behind the series’ success, is now an independent group and not interested in continuing to develop games in the Halo universe. That doesn’t mean that Master Chief and friends will quietly fade away though, as Microsoft still holds the rights to all things Halo, and would like nothing more to keep the franchise running ad infinitum.

To that end word has leaked that Microsoft is looking to put together a group of developers to create an internal studio focused on making a new Halo game. All we know so far is that the project is being billed as a "new experience," which likely means that it won’t be another FPS featuring a certain Spartan and his bevy of firearms.

If the new game does well, (and likely even if it doesn’t) then it’s easy to assume that this same group of developers will be put in charge of future Halo projects. Thus, it looks like Microsoft is preparing to create their very own Halo Studios, which will handle the franchise from now on. All you aspiring developers dusting off your resumes yet?

TGR Verdict: Very Likely