“How tacky,” says the original designer, who is unimpressed with the Halo: Campaign Evolved demo and questions why the shooter is being rebuilt at all, even as Marcus Lehto embraces the new direction.

Master Chief is circling back to the beginning. Earlier this week, Xbox revealed a full remake of Halo: Combat Evolved slated for 2026, promising visual and mechanical upgrades, four-player online co-op, and a multiplatform release on PlayStation 5 alongside Xbox and PC. With more than twenty years separating the new version from the classic, former Bungie veterans have weighed in — and the design choices are proving divisive.

Creators have already put their hands on the opening mission, The Silent Cartographer. Jaime Griesemer — a designer on the 2001 original and lead designer on Halo 2 and Halo 3 — took issue with several encounter changes showcased in the footage. In the remake, players can reportedly flatten Hunters with the Warthog; he says that, back in the day, he deliberately placed boulders to force a face-to-face, on-foot fight. Replacing those rocks with breakable crates, he argues, scrambles the pacing — and he bristled at newly added trees in the WooHoo Jump landing zone. “You’re not supposed to drive the Warthog up to smash the Hunters. I purposely placed rocks so you’d have to fight them on foot. But you know what’s worse? They put trees in the WooHoo Jump landing zone. How tacky.” He compared the result to a blunt remix: “It’s like a remix of a classic song that skips the intro and midsection and just beats the chorus over and over again.” (via GamesRadar)

Co-Op Tuning or Erosion of Identity?

Halo Studios says the remake includes intentional adjustments to better serve co-op while remaining broadly faithful to the template. Meanwhile, Marcus Lehto — the franchise’s co-creator and longtime art director — praised the first look at the environments as “fantastic,” arguing that smart, surgical tweaks can deepen exploration without breaking what makes Halo feel like Halo. “I’m glad to see new and familiar faces joining the Halo team. Chris Matthews is an excellent choice for studio head. The explorations look fantastic.” The much-maligned Library mission has also been overhauled after years of complaints about repetition and constant pressure, with promises of a more satisfying, less frustrating flow.

Griesemer’s criticism extends to the remake/remaster trend itself. “Remasters and remakes are demoralizing, and I feel sorry for any developer working on them. They can’t make money, and even if they do, they won’t get the credit. It’s a bad situation unless you’re getting paid a fortune.” Asked whether Halo: Campaign Evolved will be a commercial success, he replied: “Probably not. But I’m not sure what the point of a remake is anyway. Nostalgia? A new generation of fans? Tying up an art team while someone figures out what to do?” Elsewhere, he added: “There are dozens of changes that make the game feel more polished, but ultimately less interesting. Too many to be a fluke. Developers aren’t allowed to make interesting decisions when the budget is too high.”

Beyond the design debate, Halo is also entering a new distribution era. Xbox has confirmed that Halo is coming to PlayStation, beginning with Halo: Campaign Evolved in 2026. The reveal trailer pulled significantly more views on PlayStation’s YouTube channel than on Xbox’s, and future remakes, the follow-up to Halo Infinite, and the next multiplayer entry are planned for PC, Xbox Series X|S, and PlayStation — with a potential Switch 2 version still up in the air.

Source: 3DJuegos