What’s Next For Halo Under Activision? Probably Not The Endless

What likely would have been the big new enemy faction of the Halo universe, the Endless, have been fully revealed, though it’s unclear what role, if any, they will play going forward.

As announced last month by Xbox’s Matt Booty, Halo is under new management, with the responsibility of the next game in the series going to a completely new team under Activision. Halo Studios, formerly 343 Industries, will remain as a small team to oversee already-released titles like the recent Halo: Campaign Evolved. However, the majority of the studio, 268 people, have been laid off.

In the wake of the news, the latest (and now last) issue of the lore-focused Canon Fodder blog written by Halo Studios community writer Alex Wakeford has now become a parting gift from the studio to the community. In it, Wakeford reveals a glimpse at what the future of Halo might have looked like under Halo Studios’ continued stewardship.

A full look at the alien race known as the Endless.

There are plenty of reveals within, including a look at Zeta Halo environments that may have at one time been planned for Halo Infinite DLC. But the biggest reveal is saved for last: an image that is the community’s first full look at the Endless. This new enemy faction was teased in Halo Infinite via the Harbinger, a member of an advanced race that was imprisoned by the Forerunners on Zeta Halo due to their ability to survive the firing of the Halo rings.

In the blog the Endless are referred to as the Xalanyn, children of Abaddon. Wakeford doesn’t elaborate further, but states that he hopes the image will “spark your imagination and let your canon curiosities run wild with endless questions.”

Each member of the Endless looks wildly different. Some appear vaguely humanoid, while others look more like some type of sea creature. Every Endless member appears alongside a smaller creature that is reminiscent of their Endless counterpart. The Harbinger appears in the image alongside a Skimmer, a new enemy type encountered in Halo Infinite.

The image seems to point towards the Endless being almost a replacement of sorts for Halo’s traditional Covenant faction, with each Endless supplying a smaller enemy type the Master Chief would have to battle against. Interestingly, an Engineer, an alien race used by the Covenant and seen in previous entries in the franchise, appears alongside a similar looking Endless in the image. This looks to imply the Engineers themselves were created or in some way linked to the Endless.

Unfortunately, this may be Halo fans’ first, and last, look at the Endless. According to Halo insider Rebs Gaming, nobody at Halo Studios is currently involved in Activision’s new Halo. Activision may completely disregard Halo Studios’ work in favor of a clean slate, though Rebs does state Activision’s game, while not a direct sequel to Halo Infinite, also won’t “retcon any previously established canon.”

Halo’s move to Activision comes as Xbox CEO Asha Sharma has put a renewed emphasis on big franchises as part of her “Xbox reset” strategy that has seen widespread layoffs, game cancellations, and studio divestitures.