- Halo Campaign Evolved will feature original content and new features, too
- Creative director Max Szlagor says the remake was a process of "crafting it piece by piece"
- The game will be "more accessible" than the original
Halo Campaign Evolved isn't just a simple remake of Halo: Combat Evolved's campaign, according to Halo Studios, but a blend of original content and new features designed for a modern shooter.
In an interview with TechRadar Gaming at Summer Game Fest 2026, where we went hands-on with the upcoming game, executive producer Damon Conn and creative director Max Szlagor explained how the team recaptured the feel of the original game and the challenges of making it a fresh experience.
"It's a combination [..] of this Halo simulation, which we've built up over 25 years, foundationally from [Halo] Reach, but pulling in additional pieces and pairing that with this beautiful Unreal [Engine] renderer," Szlagor said. "As far as challenges, it's really just looking at it piece by piece as we build the levels, the encounters with enemies, vehicles, weapons.
"It's just a lot of stuff that we've put together. We've got all the original content plus these nine new weapons, ones you couldn't use in the original game, so making sure those fit in nicely with the Energy Sword, the Fuel Rod cannon, driving the Wraith, [and] vehicle hijacking. Just crafting it piece by piece."
Conn explained that the "key" is "to bring it into more of a modern shooter," which means "make it more accessible" by revamping old features so that they're more approachable.
"You can find your way through levels a little bit easier now," the developer added, "whereas back in the early 2000s, you had to find your way, and it was really trial and error. Now we have much more poignant waypointing to help you along."
There will also be quality-of-life features built using Unreal Engine 5, including a sprint button, but players can also play the game "the original way" by disabling the option.
"I like to sprint around and use it as a traversal function," Conn said. "It doesn't really change the way I'm going to play the game, but it definitely lets me move through the environment in a way that I'm more used to."
Halo Campaign Evolved launches on July 28 for PS5, Xbox Series X, Series S, and PC.
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