A quarter-century after Halo: Combat Evolved hit stores as a flagship launch title for the original Xbox, the franchise that completely recontextualized first-person shooters is still alive and well. After laying dormant following the release of 2021’s Halo: Infinite, the beloved sci-fi series returned this year with a blast from the past in the form of Halo: Campaign Evolved, an Unreal Engine 5 remake of the original campaign.
Despite some lulls in the franchise’s release schedule, Halo has been Microsoft’s flagship FPS title across every incarnation of the Xbox, a level of success that’s led to several attempts to transfer it to live-action entertainment. A film adaptation was attempted back in 2005 with the involvement of 20th Century Fox, Universal Pictures, Peter Jackson, and Neil Blomkamp, but the project sputtered out. Then, in 2022, a live-action TV adaptation arrived on Paramount+ to middling reviews after nine years in development hell. Two years after that show’s second season and subsequent cancellation, it looks like Microsoft is attempting to bring the Master Chief to life once again…along with a few other properties.
