Halo: Campaign Evolved, the upcoming remake of Halo: Combat Evolved, is making a big promise that I’m going to have to see to actually believe. Upon the announcement of Campaign Evolved this past week, developer Halo Studios shared a lot of initial details about the project. While the news of Halo coming to PS5, not only now but for the longterm future, stole most of the headlines, there was one key feature of this remake that stood out to me greatly. Sadly, I’m hard-pressed to think that this aspect of the game is one that will make it in the final product.
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In case you somehow missed it, Halo Studios revealed that Halo: Campaign Evolved is going to contain co-op play. While this shouldn’t be much of a shock given that every mainline Halo game has a co-op mode of some sort, the developer specified that local splitscreen co-op will be present in Campaign Evolved to go along with online co-op. This means that you and a buddy will both be able to play through the Halo remake while sitting together on the same couch. Local co-op has been a fixture of Halo from its inception, so I’m thrilled to hear it will be here with Campaign Evolved. Still, this promise is one that rings very hollow given what we’ve seen in the past from this studio.
This Could Be Halo Infinite All Over Again
In the lead-up to the release of Halo Infinite, splitscreen co-op was touted as a feature that would end up coming to the game. This thrilled many fans, myself included, since Halo 5: Guardians opted not to have any sort of splitscreen option for its campaign or multiplayer modes. It was a truly bizarre omission and it’s one that fans made clear needed to be rectified with the next entry. Halo Studios (at the time called 343 Industries) said that it had heard fans loud and clear on this front and that Halo Infinite would indeed feature local co-op.
Unfortunately, co-op in Halo Infinite ended up being a disaster. Despite getting delayed a full year from its original 2020 launch date to December 2021, Infinite didn’t end up shipping with campaign co-op at all. It took nearly another full year for players to be able to jump into Halo Infinite’s campaign with a friend, as the mode was finally added in November 2022. When it was finally brought to the game through a free update, though, it was only through online means.
Yes, the ability to play splitscreen co-op in Halo Infinite represented one of the biggest missteps with the game. This wasn’t just a simple feature that Halo Studios opted to scrap for one reason or another; this was supposed to be a pivotal element of Infinite that the game was built around. Its promised inclusion should’ve helped bring Halo back to its roots, while also generating goodwill toward a fanbase that had felt burned by Halo 5. Instead, it just ended up being yet another reason to distrust Halo Studios.
Now, we’re hearing the same thing with Halo: Campaign Evolved. While the advent of local co-op in a remake of Combat Evolved seems far more feasible and easier to implement when compared to Halo Infinite, I’m now at the point where I won’t believe that it’s actually in the game until I’m experiencing it myself.
Campaign Evolved Has to Bring Back Burned Fans
Halo Studios as a whole has reached the point where it needs to prove to fans that it knows what it’s doing. Since it has taken over the series from Bungie, Halo Studios has seemingly dealt with one problem after another, most of which has been because of its own doing. Whether it be the general poor reception to a game like Halo 5, or the time and money-wasting decision to develop a proprietary engine for Halo Infinite that will now never be used again, Halo Studios can’t seem to make any of the right decisions with one of gaming’s most iconic franchises.
On paper, Halo: Campaign Evolved is the perfect way to get back on track. While I personally don’t love the idea of having to see yet another Combat Evolved remake/remaster come about, this move is one that should let the developer get its feet wet with Unreal Engine 5 and better plan out the next mainline Halo game. If the studio instead were to fumble Campaign Evolved in one way or another, though, then we need to have a serious discussion about getting a new developer to come in and take the reins of the franchise.
Local co-op in Halo: Campaign Evolved is merely the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Halo Studios winning fans back. I adore Halo and I want to believe that the franchise’s best days are still to come. Hopefully, this can be the start of that bright future and not another reason to doubt the studio.
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