Xbox Chief Phil Spencer Hints at ‘Return’ of Halo: Combat Evolved Next Year

A remaster of Halo: Combat Evolved is within the works at Microsoft, Phil Spencer, CEO of the corporate’s gaming division, recommended at Xbox Games Showcase on Sunday. Spencer did not point out the sport by title, however stated it will mark the “return of a classic”. The mission will arrive subsequent yr when Xbox celebrates its twenty fifth anniversary. Last yr, Microsoft confirmed Multiple Halo video games have been in growth in Unreal Engine 5.

Halo Could Return in 2026

Xbox Games Showcase featured a formidable lineup of first-party Microsoft video games, together with Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, Grounded 2 and Keeper. Towards the tip of the present, nonetheless, Spencer got here as much as speak about what was in retailer for 2026, the twenty fifth yr of Xbox.

“Looking ahead, next year marks 25 years of Xbox. It’s a big milestone for the platform and franchises that you helped build and make popular. We couldn’t have done this without everyone who’s been with us on this journey,” Spencer stated at the showcase.

“As we think about bringing a new generation of players to these iconic franchises, I’m excited to share that players will get to celebrate 25 years of Xbox with a new Fable, the next Forza, Gears of War: E-Day, and the return of a classic that’s been with us since the beginning.”

Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer took the stage at Xbox Games Showcase
Photo Credit: Microsoft

That final bit, whereas not explicitly talked about, clearly refers to Halo. Halo: Combat Evolved launched on the unique Xbox in 2001 and redefined the first-person shooter style. The recreation turned a system vendor and has been Xbox’s largest franchise “since the beginning”, as Spencer put it.

It thus appears seemingly that Halo Studios, previously often called 343 Industries, is creating a remaster of Halo: Combat Evolved. The Verge’s Tom Warren claimed as a lot in a put up on X, as nicely, following the Xbox Games Showcase.

Bear in thoughts, the sport has already been remastered in 2011 with Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary, which marked 10 years of the unique. The remastered model was later bundled with Halo: The Master Chief Collection.

Last yr, 343 Industries introduced it was rebranding to Halo Studios and confirmed a number of Halo initiatives in growth. The studio debuted Unreal Engine 5 footage set on this planet of Halo video games, calling it the inspiration of future titles within the collection. The studio’s final Halo recreation, Halo Infinite, launched on PC and Xbox consoles in 2021.

The remastered Halo: Combat Evolved may additionally land on rival consoles just like the PS5 and the Nintendo Switch 2. Microsoft pivoted to launching its unique video games on PlayStation and Nintendo Switch platforms final yr, with a number of first-party video games coming to PS5 in 2024 and 2025. Spencer, too, has refused to rule out any Xbox franchises from being launched on different platforms.

“I do not see sort of red lines in our portfolio that say ‘thou must not,’” he informed Bloomberg final yr, however stated it was too early to decide on the subsequent model of Halo.