Xbox fans have spent years waiting for new entries in some of the platform’s biggest franchises, and a new report suggests that wait might finally start shrinking. According to a fresh report from The Information, Xbox is preparing a major shift in how it handles development on its most valuable IPs.
The report comes at a pivotal moment for Microsoft’s gaming division. Xbox has faced a string of underwhelming releases and ongoing questions about its long-term strategy, with some of its most iconic franchises sitting dormant for years while fans wondered if new entries were even still in the pipeline.
Xbox CEO Reportedly Wants Halo, Fallout, and The Elder Scrolls Out Faster
According to the report, Xbox will move faster on developing new games from beloved franchises it owns, with Halo, Fallout, and The Elder Scrolls singled out as particular areas of focus for the new Xbox CEO, Asha Sharma.
The timing makes sense. There hasn’t been a new Fallout game since 2018’s Fallout 76, and The Elder Scrolls 6, despite being announced back in 2018, is still in development with no firm release window. Halo hasn’t fared much better. It’s been five years since Halo Infinite launched, and this year’s Halo: Campaign Evolved is only a remake of the original game’s single-player content.
The report suggests the overall game development budget across Xbox will remain flat in the 2027 fiscal year, but resources will be shifted away from other areas to accelerate work on these tentpole franchises. Starting in July, Sharma is reportedly set to begin executing a plan to spend more on top-tier games in the coming fiscal year, with both Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and CFO Amy Hood giving that plan the green light.
Interestingly, this push comes alongside reports that Microsoft hasn’t ruled out restructuring or even spinning off Xbox entirely as a separate business. The reported plan would give studios like Bethesda Game Studios and Halo Studios the financial backing needed to accelerate development of Fallout, The Elder Scrolls, and Halo.
Sharma also reportedly wants to invest more in Minecraft, which has been losing ground to Roblox in daily active users.
For fans who’ve waited nearly a decade for new mainline entries in some of these series, the news offers a glimmer of hope, even if exact release windows remain far from confirmed. Halo: Campaign Evolved arrives July 28 as the first taste of what’s next for the franchise.
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