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After nearly 25 years, there’s one new world for Halo to travel to: the PlayStation 5.
During Friday’s Halo World Championships, developer Halo Studios unveiled Campaign Evolved, a remake of the first game’s single-player story. Like in the original game, players will take on Master Chief after he and his UNSC allies crash-land on a ring world teeming with the alien Covenant and parasitic Flood. Beyond being the first Halo game made in Unreal Engine—reliably used across the industry—this new version features three prequel missions centered on Chief and his friend Sgt. Johnson set before the events of the first game that are said to include new characters, gameplay, and environments.
That’s not the only change on the horizon. In recreating the campaign from scratch, the developers are “modernizing areas that could better match today’s expectations for pacing and clarity,” and specifically namedropping “The Library,” one of the most-disliked levels in the series’ history. That particular mission now has “reevaluated pacing and enhanced environmental storytelling,” said creative director Max Szlagor.
And there’s that whole PS5 thing. Over the years, Microsoft has gradually loosened its grip on first-party Xbox titles being exclusive to its platform, with the Ori games, Gears of War, and more jumping to Sony’s console and the Nintendo Switch.
After Gears and Forza, Halo was the last holdout of major Xbox franchises, and this won’t be a one-off: studio community lead Brian Jarrard said during the reveal that the series would be on PlayStation “going forward.”
Confirmed: Halo will be on PlayStation "going forward" starting with the Combat Evolved remake. pic.twitter.com/y23v1B3mfV
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“[Our] community is super excited to welcome in their friends. This means more Halo for everyone, and it’s a new era,” he continued. To that end, Campaign Evolved will have four-player online co-op between PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S via crossplay when the game launches in 2026.
Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.
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Source: Gizmodo