As we get closer to the release date for Halo: Campaign Evolved, executive producer Damon Conn and creative director Max Szlagor have revealed a few details about the game’s development, and the intent of Halo Studios with its remake of the original Halo: Combat Evolved. In an interview with GamesRadar, Conn and Szlagor discussed bringing back older fans of the Halo franchise, and having them engage with the title alongside a newer generation of gamers.
This is possible because Halo: Campaign Evolved will not feature any competitive multiplayer modes. Rather, the title will focus on its campaign, for both single-player and co-op play with up to four players, with full support for cross-platform multiplayer. Since it is also making its way to PS5—being the first Halo game to do so—it will also be an introduction to the Halo series for many gamers who only grew up with PlayStation consoles.
“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,” said Conn. “There are people who have never been exposed to Halo. Maybe they’ve always been on Sony products, switched consoles at a certain point, or just missed it at the time. We want to bring players back together.”
Speaking further about a focus on community, Szlagor noted that the Halo franchise tends to be “best played” when there is a large and healthy community backing the games. “Halo is best played when we have a large, healthy community,” he said. “We see this as a way to grow, expand, and reconnect the Halo community.”
Cronn also noted that the title will serve as a way for Halo Studios to honor the franchise while bringing it to a new audience. “We want to honor the Halo legacy on PlayStation, and we’re paving the way to expand our Halo universe – that’s how we see it. And it’s not a small thing. We don’t and we won’t take it lightly. We definitely feel the weight of it,” he said.
Halo: Combat Evolved was originally released all the way back in 2001, and was a launch title for the original Xbox. It would also eventually make its way to PC. On the two platforms, the game saw quite a bit of success, and served as a foundation for an entire franchise that would go on to form a core pillar of the Xbox identity.
Halo: Campaign Evolved doesn’t yet have a release date. It is being developed for PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S, and Halo Studios has confirmed that it is being made using Unreal Engine 5. Alongside brand new visuals and audio, the remake will also feature three new missions that focus on events set before the game’s story is kicked off. These new missions will focus on Master Chief and Sgt. Johnson.
For more details on what sets Halo: Campaign Evolved apart from Halo: Combat Evolved, here are 10 major differences between the two. Also check out what the original veteran developer Marcus Lehto, who also worked on the original Halo and the design of Master Chief, has to say about Campaign Evolved.
