Xbox Chief Phil Spencer Hints at 'Return' of Halo: Combat Evolved Next Year

A remaster of Halo: Combat Evolved is in the works at Microsoft, Phil Spencer, CEO of the company's gaming division, suggested at Xbox Games Showcase on Sunday. Spencer didn't mention the game by name, but said it would mark the “return of a classic”. The project will arrive next year when Xbox celebrates its 25th anniversary. Last year, Microsoft confirmed Multiple Halo games were in development in Unreal Engine 5.

Halo Could Return in 2026

Xbox Games Showcase featured an impressive lineup of first-party Microsoft games, including Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, Grounded 2 and Keeper. Towards the end of the show, however, Spencer came up to talk about what was in store for 2026, the 25th year of Xbox.

“Looking ahead, next year marks 25 years of Xbox. It's a big milestone for the platform and franchises that you helped build and make popular. We couldn't have done this without everyone who's been with us on this journey,” Spencer said at the showcase.

“As we think about bringing a new generation of players to these iconic franchises, I'm excited to share that players will get to celebrate 25 years of Xbox with a new Fable, the next Forza, Gears of War: E-Day, and the return of a classic that's been with us since the beginning.”

Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer took the stage at Xbox Games Showcase
Photo Credit: Microsoft

That last bit, while not explicitly mentioned, clearly refers to Halo. Halo: Combat Evolved launched on the original Xbox in 2001 and redefined the first-person shooter genre. The game became a system seller and has been Xbox's biggest franchise “since the beginning”, as Spencer put it.

It thus seems likely that Halo Studios, formerly known as 343 Industries, is developing a remaster of Halo: Combat Evolved. The Verge's Tom Warren claimed as much in a post on X, as well, following the Xbox Games Showcase.

Bear in mind, the game has already been remastered in 2011 with Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary, which marked 10 years of the original. The remastered version was later bundled with Halo: The Master Chief Collection.

Last year, 343 Industries announced it was rebranding to Halo Studios and confirmed multiple Halo projects in development. The studio debuted Unreal Engine 5 footage set in the world of Halo games, calling it the foundation of future titles in the series. The studio's last Halo game, Halo Infinite, launched on PC and Xbox consoles in 2021.

The remastered Halo: Combat Evolved could also land on rival consoles like the PS5 and the Nintendo Switch 2. Microsoft pivoted to launching its exclusive games on PlayStation and Nintendo Switch platforms last year, with several first-party games coming to PS5 in 2024 and 2025. Spencer, too, has refused to rule out any Xbox franchises from being released on other platforms.

“I do not see sort of red lines in our portfolio that say ‘thou must not,'” he told Bloomberg last year, but said it was too early to make a decision on the next version of Halo.