When the Xbox branch of Microsoft was formed, they knew early on that they had to have a killer app that would help move systems and get them on the map gaming-wise. Nintendo had numerous icons at its disposal, and PlayStation had created multiple icons and franchises of its own to ensure its success. When the time came, they put all their faith into a title called Halo Combat Evolved, and it helped change gaming forever. Not only did it help modernize first-person shooters in a big way, it set the building blocks for everything that was going to come from the genre over the next several years.
However, ever since the original trilogy ended, and original creators Bungie left to do a different spacefaring adventure, the series hasn’t been the same. 343 Industries has TRIED to make it relevant again, including making multiple spinoffs and even a new trilogy, but they never lived up to the hype, especially with its most recent entry that was literally broken up at launch. However, according to The Verge, the original game might be coming back.
They report that Halo Combat Evolved is being given a kind of “remaster” from Xbox, but to what level is unclear. Just as unclear is whether this might be the first game in the series to go multiplatform. It was always on PC and Xbox in the past, but the report claims that a PS5 option is on the table.
There are many questions that need to be answered about this, including why they would simply do a remaster when they could do a full-on remake and basically reboot everything from there, should it sell well. It could be that Xbox is hesitant to do anything too drastic or too time-consuming, given the series’ past failures in 2024, 2023, and beyond.
Some might also consider this a way to “appease the fans” due to the franchise’s inconsistency and instability in past years. As noted, the most recent entry literally launched in a divided state, and while it has gotten updates over the years, they’ve had to cancel full-on modes that were staples in past games and delay highly anticipated content over the course of the last three years.
Another issue is that this idea for the “remaster” is apparently only in its beginning stages. If so, that means the game won’t be out in 2024, and maybe not even 2025. Only time will tell.
