The Halo 1 remake is likely happening, here’s what it looks like

With the new dawn of Halo Studios, one of the most anticipated Xbox titles is a potential Halo 1 remake. But is it actually happening?

Before the 2024 Halo World Championship concluded, 343 Industries announced its official rebrand into Halo Studios. The renewed focus on the Halo franchise promises new teams and games on an equally new engine. The most exciting development among fans is the reveal of classic Halo: Combat Evolved maps in Unreal Engine 5.

These teases of what’s to come left fans wondering if a Halo 1 remake is coming soon. Judging from an accompanying blog post, it likely is.

Will there really be a Halo: Combat Evolved remake?

A Halo 1 remake was teased in promotional materials released by Halo Studios and Xbox.

The now-former 343 Studios team didn’t just remake all these Halo: Combat Evolved assets for fun. Pierre Hintze teased that Halo Studios will use Unreal Engine-based Halo 1 assets in Unreal Engine for future projects.

“It’s fair to say that our intent is that the majority of what we showcased in Foundry is expected to be in projects which we are building or future projects,” stated Hintze on the official Xbox site. Project Foundry refers to the graphics showcase featured in the “A New Dawn” video from Halo Studios.

Although the team called it a research project, these renders prepared the team for what Halo 1 in Unreal Engine 5 could look like at its best. Given that the assets already exist, it was natural for Hintze to confirm their use in future Halo projects.

“The original Halo franchise was a graphic showcase. It was Best in Class. That’s what Halo was when it first was released, and that’s what Halo needs to be again,” said Daniel Henley, lead FX artist for the Halo franchise.

The focus on graphical fidelity may seem typical of AAA studios these days, but there are other reasons for the engine shift. The in-house engine Slipspace has caused many headaches among Halo fans. Players, particularly those fond of custom maps, noted the engine’s instability, citing its origins as a touched-up Blam engine as the culprit.

The shift to Unreal Engine 5 is likely Halo Studios’ attempt to minimize headaches with a widely supported industry standard engine. Other big-name studios have made similar moves, most notably CD Projekt Red. The creators of The Witcher series pivoted from its proprietary RED Engine to Unreal Engine 5.

With so many remakes of classic games in the works, the hype for a Halo 1 remake still proves the franchise has a diehard fanbase.