Halo Studios has taken on a daunting task with the second remake of the original Halo, which will be released in an incomplete form.

In addition to the 25th anniversary of Xbox, which begins this week with a new Xbox Developer Direct, 2026 will also mark the return of the franchise most closely associated with Microsoft‘s gaming brand. Announced last year, Halo: Campaign Evolved will offer returning and new players the opportunity to experience the beginning of a series that has had a lasting impact on first-person shooter games. It will also mark the series’ debut on the PlayStation 5. PlayStation owners can enjoy the series on their favorite platform for the first time, which is part of a broader strategy that goes beyond simply selling the game to more customers.

However, the community remains highly skeptical that Halo: Campaign Evolved will bring the Halo community closer together because it lacks the central element that has defined the series since the release of the original game: multiplayer mode. At a recent preview event with GamesRadar, the publication tried out the Unreal Engine 5 remake of the first game in the series. Damon Conn, executive producer at Halo Studios, commented on the developer’s hopes for the game’s positive impact on the community:

“We hope to bring along the series veterans who have been with us for the past 25 years and have them play with an entirely new generation. There are people who have never been exposed to Halo. Maybe they’ve always used Sony products, switched consoles at some point, or simply missed it. We want to bring players back together,” Conn said, confirming four-player online co-op with full cross-play support.

Creative Director Max Szlagor echoed this sentiment, stating that Halo is best enjoyed with a large and active community. They view this as an opportunity for the Halo community to grow and expand. Although the online co-op mode with full cross-platform play is a great feature for nurturing the Halo community, fans are still skeptical. They were disappointed when it was confirmed that the multiplayer segment of Halo: Combat Evolved would not be redesigned.

Considering how disappointed some fans were after Halo Infinite, their continued skepticism and disappointment over the lack of multiplayer in Halo: Combat Evolved may be justified. For many, competitive multiplayer plays a central role in the Halo experience and is therefore important to the community.

Source: WCCFTech, GamesRadar