TheHalofranchise is one of the most influential and iconic IPs throughout the entire gaming industry, finding its roots in 2001 and being a relative mainstay of the FPS genre ever since. It is no secret that the series holds a level of prestige that not many other franchises can compete with, yet the contemporary optics of the IP are rather bleak.
Many are of the opinion thatHalohas declined in quality with more recent releases, with fans using the likes of the massively successful titlesHalo: Combat EvolvedandHalo 3as the kind of barometer that any other installments should be hoping to match. With the most recent release ofHaloInfiniteleaving a sour taste with many fans, a high-profile deal between Microsoft and Activision Blizzard may herald the final chance forHaloto re-establish itself as a franchise worth pursuing for Microsoft.
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The Microsoft Activision Blizzard Acquisition
Microsoft announced its intentions to acquire Activision Blizzard in January 2022, with the deal still being a point of intense international scrutiny to this day. The scale of the deal is evidenced in its potential price, with the reported $68.7 billion acquisition being an industry-topping figure, should the deal be finalized.
This acquisition came among a spate of prior acquisitions made by Microsoft, with the tech giant having already purchasedMinecraftdeveloper Mojang andThe Elder ScrollsandFalloutdeveloper Bethesda. While these prior purchases have a huge amount of influence in and of themselves, the potential Activision Blizzard deal would undoubtedly be the most high-profile and influential Microsoft acquisition to date.
The power that this acquisition could hand Microsoft has led to a predictably large amount of backlash from international regulators and industry competitors, with Sony arguably being the most vocal opponent to the deal. The deal has already seenMicrosoft be sued by the FTCand face a spate of regulatory hearings across the globe, although many key decisions towards finalizing the deal have gone Microsoft’s way in recent months.
What the Activision Blizzard Acquisition Means For Halo
The main driving force behind the Activision Blizzard deal is the amount of high-profile and iconic IPs that the acquisition would give Microsoft ownership of. Should the deal be finalized, huge franchises such asWorld of Warcraft,Overwatch,Diablo, andCall of Dutywould come under the Microsoft name, which would in turn allow the company to have a great position of power and sway when it comes to these IPs.
With this in mind, many are already questioning what will come of older Microsoft franchises if this acquisition is finalized.Halois perhaps the IP with the most question marks surrounding it thanks to this pending acquisition, withCall of Dutybeing a somewhat comparable FPS franchise that is capable of dwarfing the pull-power of theHaloseries.
Microsoft recently put a lot of stock intoHalowiththe 2021 release ofHalo Infinite, although a lack of content at launch and a controversial live-service approach to multiplayer saw the game be considered a failure by many. With this recent controversy already looming over theHalofranchise, the addition of the likes ofCall of DutyandOverwatchto the Microsoft roster could be the final nail in the coffin for the sci-fi IP.
In this way, it is likely thatHalofinds itself at a crossroads in which it has one more opportunity to prove its longevity and positive fan reception to Microsoft. While nothing is currently known about the next potentialHaloinstallment, it is likely that the release will have the weight of the entire franchise on its back in what will be a pivotal sink-or-swim moment for the iconic IP.
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