Xbox Exec “Killed” the Halo MMO ‘Titan’ to Protect a Bonus, Says Former Ensemble Dev

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According to a former developer from Ensemble Studios, the much-talked-about Halo MMO – internally known as “Titan” – was canceled to allow an executive to receive a bonus. Carl Sanford Joslyn Petersen, who goes by “Sandy” and worked at Ensemble, claims that Don Mattrick, who was then head of Xbox, ended both the game’s development and the studio itself because the game wouldn’t be finished within the timeframe needed for his bonus.

Back in 2008, the team at Ensemble Studios began developing a massive online multiplayer game set in the world of Halo. They called it Titan, and the story would have unfolded tens of thousands of years before the events we know, before the Halos were activated and wiped out all intelligent life in the galaxy, according to Petersen.

According to one source, Don Mattrick’s decision to fire the entire Ensemble studio was motivated by his personal financial incentives. His bonus was tied to Microsoft’s gaming revenue over three years, so eliminating the expensive studio saved him money, and he wasn’t concerned about the fate of their game, Titan.

Petersen also mentioned that Microsoft projected $1.1 billion in revenue from Titan. The development team had detailed plans for the game, including storylines, player home worlds, and factions based on the Forerunners and Covenant. They even planned to include the Flood, though they wouldn’t have been playable characters.

Ensemble Studios closed down in January 2009. They likely worked on the game Titan between 2004 and 2007, after which the team began developing Halo Wars.

Petersen criticized Mattrick’s leadership, stating that he oversaw the loss of a game studio that consistently sold over 3 million copies of each title. Petersen felt Mattrick didn’t act in the best interests of Microsoft’s investors, adding that Mattrick’s background at Electronic Arts suggested this behavior was predictable.

Microsoft hasn’t responded to the recent statements made by Petersen. Following the studio’s closure, former Ensemble employees explained that the cancellation of Titan was due to internal restructuring and worries about the costs and risks of creating a massive multiplayer online game.

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2025-11-03 14:42