It’s been a tumultuous time for Halo fans in recent months, and the future of the franchise hasn’t been looking bright. While players have been hoping for a sign of a turnaround and are optimistic about the Halo World Championship event later this month, new revelations signal a bleak future for Halo Studios.

In a LinkedIn post on October 9, 2025, Glenn Israel, veteran Art Director at Halo Studios (formerly 343 Games) officially confirms that he will no longer be “contributing to the Halo universe,” leaving behind an ominous word of warning.

Future Of Halo Is Bleak After 343 OG Departs With Word Of Warning

Glenn Israel’s LinkedIn Post Is A Bad Sign For Things To Come

Halo Studios

Glenn Israel’s departure is concerning enough as it is considering he’s one of the few remaining original 343 talents left at Halo Studios. Israel has worked on the IP for over 17 years at this point, and contributed to various Halo projects over the years.

Much more concerning is the tone of Israel’s message, which not only implies that it is currently unsafe to share the story behind the decision, but that there are worse things going on at Halo Studios than the public is currently privy to. ... also indicates that next year will bring revelations about what’s going on behind the scenes for the iconic franchise, and it’s hard to imagine these will be positive.

Recently, Halo Studios has been hit with a wave of layoffs that have raised serious concerns about the future of any Halo games, and this most recent departure is adding fuel to speculation over the studio’s future.

Added to the larger fact that Halo has more or less been abandoned by Xbox as its premier FPS IP in favor of Call of Duty, among other major disappointments surrounding Halo over the past few years, it’s an awful time to be a Halo fan.

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Despite the wave of bad news that Halo fans have endured lately, I’m trying hard to be optimistic about the future of the franchise. It’s possible that Halo has simply entered its Dark Ages, and fans might just have to ride out the storm until things improve at Halo Studios behind the scenes. The prospect of major revelations coming out pertaining to issues at Halo Studios all but guarantees the next year will be a rocky one at best.

All told, Halo fans deserve some actual good news, which Halo Studios has promised at the upcoming Halo World Championship in Seattle on October 24. It’s hard to imagine exactly what Halo Studios could reveal that would make this year a little better for Halo fans, but there’s no doubt they will be waiting the good news eagerly.