Why the Halo: CE Remake Rumor May Actually Be a Good Thing

For several months now, rumors and leaks have suggested that Halo Studios may be working on two upcoming Halo games: Halo 7 and a Halo: Combat Evolved remake. While none of these developments have been confirmed by Halo Studios, one new rumor on the Halo: Combat Evolved remake suggests that the upcoming Halo game may release in late 2026, but without multiplayer. It’s unknown if this lack of multiplayer is only limited to traditional PvP matches or if it will include the lack of local and online campaign co-op as well. While this rumor may be disappointing to some Halo fans, the lack of multiplayer for the Halo: CE remake may turn out to be a good thing in the long run.

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By Matthew Schomer

Halo: Combat Evolved Remake's Potential Conflict With Halo 7

If the rumors of Halo Studios developing both Halo 7 and the Halo: Combat Evolved remake turn out to be true, the lack of multiplayer in the remake may turn out to be a blessing in disguise. The Halo: Combat Evolved remake may launch in late 2026 to coincide with Halo’s 25th anniversary, but Halo 7 could debut in late 2027. YouTuber and notable leaker Rebs Gaming, who originally disclosed the rumor of the Halo: Combat Evolved remake lacking multiplayer, claimed that his sources confirmed that the remake began development in 2023, so having it launch in late 2026 makes sense. If Halo Studios began working on Halo 7 around 2023 or 2024, possibly with help from other studios, having that game release in 2027 could be possible.

However, having two Halo games released within a year of each other with two different multiplayer systems would undoubtedly split both games’ playerbases and risk both titles having lower multiplayer interaction. While many Halo fans might expect a Halo: Combat Evolved remake to feature an updated form of CE’s original multiplayer, it could be difficult to replicate CE’s nostalgic multiplayer for modern audiences without making many older fans upset. Halo’s original multiplayer, while groundbreaking in 2001, could be seen as slow and boring to young gamers if the remake retained Halo: CE’s multiplayer core aspects. By having the remake focus on campaign, it could allow Halo Studios to work more on Halo 7’s multiplayer and ensure it launches in a more complete state than Halo Infinite’s multiplayer launch.

Halo: Combat Evolved Remake’s Potential Relationship With Halo Infinite

Should the Halo: Combat Evolved remake launch without a traditional PvP multiplayer system, it could encourage new players to try out Halo Infinite’s multiplayer until Halo 7 releases. This relationship could function similarly to how Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary debuted in 2011. Instead of remastering every aspect of Halo: CE, 343 Industries and Saber Interactive prioritized remastering just CE’s campaign, but they made remakes of Halo: CE and Halo 2 maps for 2010’s Halo: Reach in Anniversary. This encouraged gamers to continue playing Halo: Reach’s then one-year-old multiplayer a little longer until Halo 4 released with its own dedicated multiplayer in 2012. A similar relationship could appear with the Halo: Combat Evolved remake and Halo Infinite until Halo 7 releases in 2027.

The Benefit of the Halo: Combat Evolved Remake Focusing on Campaign

Halo: Combat Evolved’s campaign is often regarded as one of the best campaigns released for the sixth console generation thanks to its characters, story, cinematic presentation, and fun gameplay. Despite Halo: Combat Evolved being nearly 24 years old, its original and 2011 anniversary campaigns still hold up relatively well. However, if Halo Studios is truly working on rebuilding CE from the ground up in Unreal Engine 5, it should strive to expand upon CE’s campaign in numerous ways without comprising the game’s core themes. Halo: Combat Evolved’s development is well-known for being forced to cut many features that went on to be implemented in future Halo games, but Halo Studios could use the remake to bring back some of these cut elements in CE’s campaign.

For example, Halo: Combat Evolved was originally going to feature the Engineers or Huragok and the massive Sharquoi as a part of the Covenant, but they were cut and later considered to be introduced in Halo 2. Engineers went on to debut in Halo 3: ODST, while the Sharquoi have yet to appear in a Halo game. Halo Studios could make the Engineers, Sharquoi, and the insectoid Drones, as they do appear in the Battle of Installation 04 as shown in Halo: Fireteam Raven, a part of the Covenant in the Halo: CE make to boost gameplay variety.

The Sharquoi have shown up in several Halo books such as Halo: Envoy.

Other Cut Enemies and Vehicles That Should Appear in the Halo: CE Remake

On top of these aforementioned Covenant enemies, Halo Studios could feature the menacing Flood Juggernaut in the Halo: CE remake as the once cut Halo 2 enemy does appear in Halo: Fireteam Raven. This could make some Flood encounters in the remake become terrifyingly intense. Halo Studios could even populate Installation 04 with interactive wildlife such as the dinosaur-like Blind Wolf and Thorn Beast to truly make Alpha Halo feel alive. Halo 2’s Covenant Spectre and Gauss Warthog vehicles were originally supposed to appear in Halo: CE so Halo Studios could bring them back in the remake, especially if the remake retains local or online campaign co-op.

Halo: Combat Evolved Remake’s Potential Story Expansion

The story of Halo: Combat Evolved is beloved by gamers worldwide, but it could be expanded upon in the Halo: Combat Evolved remake. In 2003, Bungie, Microsoft, and Del Rey Books published a novelization of Halo: Combat Evolved’s campaign called Halo: The Flood, written by William C. Dietz. The book covered all of Halo’s 10 levels, and it expanded upon the Battle of Installation 04 by featuring sections that followed UNSC Major Antonio Silva and Lieutenant Melissa McKay establishing a foothold on the ring and the Special Operations Elite Zuka 'Zamamee hunting down Master Chief. Halo Studios could fully implement these characters into the Halo: Combat Evolved remake and feature entirely new levels where Chief has to fight 'Zamamee and help defend the UNSC Alpha Base.

Halo Studios has long been known now for featuring short video terminals throughout Halo campaign levels that expand upon certain characters and events. While it’s expected that Halo Studios will bring back their Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary terminals in the remake, they could feature more that focus on Alpha Halo stories separate from Master Chief.

For example, one new terminal could depict Rtas 'Vadumee’s battle against the Flood from The Last Voyage of the Infinite Succor, while another could depict Sergeant Johnson's survival against the Flood from Breaking Quarantine. If there won’t be PvP multiplayer in the Halo: CE remake, Halo Studios could still make a local co-op Firefight-esque mode separate from the campaign, possibly recreating Fireteam Raven’s last stand against The Flood.

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