Over the weekend, Microsoft’s grand Xbox Games Showcase took the stage as the most extensive gaming presentation. This event, which followed the Summer Game Fest conference on Friday, offered a span of two hours filled with trailers, unveilings, and announcements for games and hardware like the upcoming Xbox Ally handheld. These upcoming releases will be available not only on Xbox and PC but also on other platforms in certain cases.
The conference concluded with an exciting direct for The Outer Worlds 2 from Obsidian, which also unveiled details about Grounded 2. However, prior to this, Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer appeared on stream to wrap up the main event. During his speech, he hinted at the potential return of a beloved franchise: Halo, marking its 25th anniversary in 2026.
He announced that players will joyfully mark Xbox’s 25th anniversary by experiencing a new Fable game, the next Forza, Gears of War E-Day, and the reappearance of an old favorite from our earliest days.” After this, he presented Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, but it failed to hold my interest. I was still engrossed in those final statements.
When considering “a timeless series that’s been part of our gaming journey since the start,” there’s no other franchise that pops up like Halo in my mind. In fact, Halo: Combat Evolved, released in 2001, is inextricably linked with the debut of the original Xbox console, and it was a major selling point for Microsoft for several years following its release. The games Halo 2, Halo 3, and Halo: Reach were crucial to the success of Xbox LIVE and the Xbox 360 as well.
The following decade saw a decline in the appeal of the franchise as ownership of Halo changed, but even with numerous enhancements and updates introduced post-release, Halo Infinite released in 2021 fell short of drawing the anticipated live-service audience that Microsoft and now Halo Studios (formerly known as 343 Industries) had envisioned. However, last year it was announced that Halo is transitioning to Unreal Engine 5 and there’s been an increase in hiring for various ongoing projects within the studio.
During that period, there was a tech demo unveiled named Project Foundry, which displayed various Halo environments and characters rendered using Unreal Engine 5. This demonstration included numerous scenes featuring the series’ main character, Master Chief, wearing his iconic armor from Halo: Combat Evolved. This sparked much conjecture about the possibility of a remake of Halo: Combat Evolved emerging independently from the Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary remaster developed by Halo Studios in collaboration with Saber Interactive and Certain Affinity.
It’s quite plausible that what Phil Spencer hinted at during the Xbox Games Showcase could indeed be the teased Halo experience, yet there’s also a chance it might be something completely different in the Halo universe. Personally, I’m inclined to believe it’s unlikely to be a direct sequel to Halo Infinite, but who knows? It’s been quite some time since its release, and I wouldn’t mind being taken aback by an unexpected development.
If so, my preference would be for it to debut with a comprehensive collection of content from the get-go. Both Halo 5: Guardians and Halo Infinite started out with minimal content, which I think significantly impacted their longevity, as they didn’t reach their full potential.
Regardless, I’m thrilled that it appears we’ll have a new Halo game coming out on Xbox, PC, and Xbox Game Pass next year. Being a long-time fan of the series since my youth, I sincerely hope that Microsoft, Xbox, and Halo Studios can deliver a polished and significant triumph with this game. The future remains uncertain, but I prefer to stay optimistic about it.
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2025-06-09 02:09