The Halo franchise is undergoing some pretty big changes. Towards the end of last year, 343 Industries changed its name to Halo Studios. This announcement came alongside the confirmation that the Halo franchise would be switching to Unreal Engine 5, which itself was accompanied by a brief tech demo.
Quite a few of the shots in this Unreal Engine 5 Halo trailer looked to be heavily inspired by Halo: Combat Evolved, which led many fans to believe that the long-rumored Combat Evolved remake, remaster, or reboot was real, and that this trailer was a semi-subtle teaser of its existence. There’s still no official word from Halo Studios on whether a Halo remake or reboot is in development, but recent rumors say one could arrive as early as this year. If that’s true, then it could be the win Halo needs right now. But a Halo reboot could just as easily fall flat on its face. It all comes down to one impossible balancing act.
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A Halo Reboot Would Be Stuck Between a Rock and a Hard Place
A Halo Reboot Would Need to Strike a Careful Balance Between New and Old
Reboots are always a tricky thing to get right, in any entertainment medium. A reboot or remake needs to contain enough of what fans loved about the original so that it feels authentic and familiar. But a reboot can’t feel too familiar, otherwise fans will think it’s resting on its laurels, and they’ll potentially question why it was even made in the first place, a la the infamous shot-for-shot 1998 Psycho remake starring Vince Vaughn.
That’s especially the case when it comes to beloved franchises like Halo, and especially a monumentally influential entry like Halo: Combat Evolved. Over the last 24 years, fans have probably played Halo: Combat Evolved at least a handful of times, and are therefore likely to have a good understanding of the game’s level design, enemy design, gameplay mechanics, and narrative.
A potential Halo: Combat Evolved remake or reboot would have over 20 years’ worth of expectations to not only live up to, but surpass. In order to justify its existence, fans would expect the remake/reboot to bring something new to the table, something more substantial than shiny Unreal Engine 5 graphics. But if Halo Studios adds to or changes Combat Evolved‘s original formula too much, then there’s a strong possibility fans will shun it for not feeling authentic enough.
Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary (a 2011 remaster) is a good example of this near-impossible balance. Though it received positive reviews, some fans took issue with the remaster’s lighting and other visual changes, which gave certain locations a distinctly different atmosphere.
A Halo Reboot Might Feel Like a Step Back for Halo’s Story
A remake or reboot of Halo: Combat Evolved might also feel to some fans as though the franchise is taking a step backwards, at least in terms of its overarching narrative. Though Halo Infinite‘s story wasn’t incredible, it still made some interesting plot developments, and some intriguing threads were left dangling at the end of the game. A reboot or remake of the Halo franchise might mean those plot threads are forgotten in favor of retelling a story that fans already know intimately.
- Released
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November 15, 2001
- ESRB
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M For Mature 17+ due to Blood and Gore, Violence