Halo Combat Evolved remake may be real, as new report reignites rumors

Rumors of a Halo remake have been circling for a few months now, with players wondering whether this will see the iconic Xbox series finally make its debut on PlayStation consoles. Combat Evolved is a bastion of modern FPS games, and a personal favorite of mine. However, after a half-baked remaster in the Master Chief Collection back in 2014 (2019 on PC), fans aren't sure whether to be excited or worried. A new report claims that one of the co-developers of that collection is returning to help Halo Studios produce the new remake.

The information comes from YouTuber 'Rebs,' who has a good track record when it comes to Halo leaks. He says that three sources have told him that Abstraction, a studio under the Virtuous banner, is working on the game.

Abstraction previously worked on the Master Chief Collection, specifically adding accessibility features to the games. The accessibility features in question were "not only for people with disabilities," Rebs quotes the studio as writing, but also including quality of life improvements for a general audience. The studio aims "to see how we can enhance Halo without changing its identity or giving unfair advantages in multiplayer."

With a track record of collaboration with 343 Industries and a host of remakes on their resume, Abstraction seems like a suitable choice for a Halo: Combat Evolved remake. However, Rebs says that this co-development studio "is handling most of the work," this time around, which is a departure from Abstraction's previous role collaborating with 343.

Rebs also says that the remake will be made in a hybrid game engine, with the gameplay and mechanics built in a modified Halo Reach Blam engine, and the visuals rendered in Unreal Engine 5.

If you're a Halo fan who can't wait for the remake, a PlayStation owner eager for your first whiff of Master Chief's sweaty helmet, or someone who's fine replaying the original games, try out some of the best space games in the meantime. If you want to play a campaign side by side with a friend, the best co-op games will have you covered. Or just play Helldivers 2 and be done with it.

What do you make of the Halo remake rumors? Let us know in our community Discord server, where staff and readers crash Warthogs into each other all day long.