According to some fresh information from a reportedly reliable industry insider, the Halo: Combat Evolved Remake is NOT going to feature a multiplayer mode. While many may be heartbroken over the news, it seems as though the most likely reason for the decision hinges on the fact that it is already available as part of the Halo: Master Chief Collection. With that said, of course it would be wonderfully nostalgic to hop into Blood Gulch and frag our buddies in the new engine with updated visuals and gameplay, but for now I think the joy of seeing that beautiful Halo ring in all of its glorious Unreal Engine 5 splendor will have to suffice.
This news was initially reported by RebsGaming on YouTube, where he also details some updates on Halo 7 and Project Ekur, as well as some potential rumors about Halo Infinite and previously released news such as the recently publicized intel that “forgers” from the community are currently working on additional content for the title. With the Halo: Combat Evolved remake slated for a likely release in 2026, much of the information fans have received up to this point has come in the form of brief teasers and high-resolution images, but according to these leaks, there are quite a few Halo projects in the works.
Rebs shared with his audience that he received this insider information directly from two sources connected to the Halo development team at Halo Studios, specifically in connection to those working on the Halo: Combat Evolved remake. These sources indicated that the development of the remake began back in 2023 and is intended for release as part of a special Anniversary Project next year. The sources went on to share that the remake will only feature the remade campaign but will likely release on both Xbox Series X as well as PlayStation 5, though whether or not Halo Studios plan to change any of that or not is still up in the air at present.
Focusing on the multiplayer plans from the studio, back when Halo Studios were still 343 Industries, they had supposedly canceled a battle royale tie-in for Halo Infinite that would have been in the same vein as games like PUBG or Call of Duty: Warzone, that was known internally as Project Tatanka, though now it has been handed over to Certain Affinity, so it seems likely that it will find new life as a standalone project.
The studio has in fact rebranded the project as a separate multiplayer title that will also be utilizing the power of Unreal Engine 5 to create this project which they have codenamed Project Ekur. A recent post from a Halo dataminer called grunt.api shared that a title ID code he found for a game, actually pertains to Project Ekur, and indicated that the game has been receiving regular updates every few hours over the last few days.
Rebs also provided insight into the next upcoming mainline installment for the franchise, Halo 7. Based on an exchange with the Halo Community Manager, it seems as though the Halo 7 is currently in pre-production alongside other in-development titles from the studio and will more than likely be an indirect sequel to some of the previous titles. With that in mind, it isn’t expected for release until the next generation Xbox consoles are released, but it would make one heck of a launch title for fans of the series!
There were also some rumors floating around about Halo Infinite that have since been proven false. So, if you’ve heard of any of these and were excited, I’m sorry to break the news. The first of which was that Halo Infinite was going to receive an Unreal Engine 5 port, which would be cool, but fans likely won’t see an upgraded Halo Infinite until Unreal Engine 6 or 7, if ever, as there are far more titles in the franchise that deserve the beautification process first.
Also, two sources including a former developer from Halo Studios and a current developer from a Halo Support Studio, have confirmed that they were never privy to such information and the likelihood of such a project is near zero. The second rumor is in regard to Xbox’s push to get their previously exclusive titles in the hands of more gamers on other platforms like PlayStation, this time with Halo Infinite getting the PS treatment, but again, these same sources have indicated that they are entirely unaware of any intentions to do so.
Either way, it’s a good time to be a Halo fan and hopefully with the restructuring of the studio, players can be proud of their beloved franchise again, while gaining new allies from other consoles to save humanity. I want some Unreal Engine 5 ODST action, baby!
