Developer Halo Studios has fully moved on from Halo Infinite and is now focused on Halo: Campaign Evolved — a full Unreal Engine 5-based remake of the original 2001 game Halo: Combat Evolved. The reimagining of the beloved classic is set to be one of the biggest Xbox releases this year, and according to a recent leak, it's very possible it's got a release date of July 28 across Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC, Xbox Game Pass, and PS5.
A previous report suggested that one of the studio's next big projects after Campaign Evolved might be Project Eker, some sort of potentially standalone Halo multiplayer experience that could be an extraction shooter. Now, another has come to light that claims that on the campaign side of things, we're getting two additional remakes.
That news comes from Rebs Gaming, a well-known Halo insider widely considered to be reputable. In a new report from Mr. Rebs, he says that two sources have confirmed to him that Xbox and Halo Studios are working on remakes for Halo 2 and Halo 3, corroborating an earlier claim from a developer he spoke to that said they were being developed.
Notably, Mr. Rebs says that one source sent him definitive proof that these remakes for the rest of the original Halo trilogy are coming, and that "Active development is underway" — though ultimately, they're still in "early development."
Stop reading here if you'd like to avoid potential spoilers for Campaign Evolved's new missions! If you don't mind, keep scrolling down.
He also noted that his other source is the same one that previously leaked some interesting details about Halo: Campaign Evolved's new prequel missions that precede the events of the main single player story. Notably, they said that one of them is centered around the tense rivalry between the UNSC's Spartan supersoldiers and its elite — but unaugmented — Orbital Drop Shock Troopers (ODSTs).
It was also stated that another might give a nod of some sort to Halo: Combat Evolved's prequel, Halo: Reach, we'll see Brutes in the levels (these enemies weren't introduced until Halo 2, originally), and that there will be a new Covenant faction that's even more religious than the main empire.
Apparently, things from Halo 2 and 3 like Brutes will be present in Campaign Evolved because of the upcoming work-in-progress remakes for those games. This suggests the future titles will be built with Unreal Engine 5 as well, lining up with Halo Studios' stated plan to use Unreal moving forward when it rebranded from 343 Industries in 2024.
While Halo: Combat Evolved and Halo 2 got "Anniversary" remasters in 2011 and 2014 respectively, Halo 3 didn't end up getting one in 2017, which is something that greatly frustrated fans of what was arguably the Halo game with the franchise's biggest cultural impact.
Thus, it's great news for many that a full-fledged Halo 3 remake is reportedly on the horizon, though only time will tell if the 2007 shooter is remade faithfully. Campaign Evolved has caught some flak for reusing Halo Infinite assets and for some controversial changes like the inclusion of sprinting and major artistic redesigns, after all.
I'm glad to see some positive Halo news after all the negative things we've heard about lately. Assuming Mr. Rebs' report is accurate, are you excited to play remakes of Halo 2 and 3? Let me know in the comments, and in our poll.
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