Halo Studios Cinematic Director Promoted and Laid Off in Same Week Amid Xbox's Ongoing Restructuring

Josh Daniels, cinematic director at Halo Studios, has confirmed that he was both promoted and laid off within the same week, as news emerges that Activision has taken over development of the next Halo game.

Xbox's major restructuring continues this week, with Chief Content Officer Matt Booty announcing 268 layoffs "across Halo Studios, other first-party studios, and the XGS management and central functions layer."

Among those affected was Josh Daniels, now the former cinematic director at Halo Studios. He shared the news on LinkedIn, revealing that he had just received a promotion that same week in a harsh twist of fate.

"Promoted and laid off in the same week is pretty wild. I'm one of the many hit by the Halo Studios layoffs," he wrote. "I'll be taking some offline time today, but very much would love to talk to anyone looking for Cinematic Direction or Production roles. Feel free to get in touch if anything looks like I might be a fit."

Daniels had been with Xbox for just over a decade, having previously worked on the Forza Motorsport games. He was appointed cinematic director at Halo Studios in 2024 and worked on Halo: Campaign Evolved, a title that received a lukewarm reception from players upon its release earlier this year.

A cinematic director for a video game oversees a title's creative vision, narrative direction, and in-game cutscenes, among many other responsibilities. The removal of such an integral role suggests that the next Halo game is taking a drastically different approach than its predecessors, though this wouldn't be out of left field; one of the more shocking results of Xbox's shakeup was the news that Activision is now taking the helm of the Halo franchise.

While Halo Studios still exists and will "continue supporting the Halo community and games in-market," Activision is now leading the charge on the series' next game. The minds behind Call of Duty making a Halo game is certainly something that wasn't on anyone's bingo card, and while opinions are largely mixed, many fans are cautiously optimistic and open for anything to get the franchise out of its current state.

For now, we'll have to wait and see what the future holds for Halo. In the meantime, other studios impacted by Xbox's big restructuring include Undead Labs, who revealed today that its next game, State of Decay 3, is still in active development and is slated for a closed beta later this year, with a release date set for 2027.