Highlights

  • Microsoft may be working on a Halo: Combat Evolved remaster for PlayStation 5, hinting at a shift to more multiplatform releases.
  • Sea of Thieves and other Xbox games have seen success on Sony and Nintendo consoles, likely prompting more games to go multiplatform.
  • The rumored Halo remaster for PS5 raises questions about the need for a new version, as the game is already playable on current hardware.

A new report from a credible insider alleges that Microsoft may be working on a Halo: Combat Evolved remaster which could make its way to PlayStation 5. The company shifted gears on its exclusivity strategy for Xbox earlier this year, porting four back-catalog first-party titles to PlayStation and Nintendo platforms. Although Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer assured fans that the initial batch won't "open the floodgates" for other games, speculation has run rampant around which games could go multiplatform next, and it appears Halo: Combat Evolved – the kickstarter of the Xbox brand – is one of them.

After Grounded, Hi-Fi Rush, and Pentiment, Sea of Thieves was the last of the initial batch of "experimental" multiplatform releases by Xbox, and the company has seen promising signs with them. In fact, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella remarked during the company's last earnings call that it had seven games in the PlayStation Store's top 25. While all four games have performed well to some degree, Sea of Thieves has been the biggest success on PS5, ranking high on the sales charts consistently.

Gears of War 2 key art with Marcus Fenix
Related
Gears of War Creator CliffyB Offers His Thoughts on Xbox Exclusives Going Multiplatform

During a recent Game ZXC interview, Gears of War creator CliffyB comments on Xbox-exclusive games possibly adopting multiplatform models.

It's no surprise, then, that the positive sales results of the four games will likely lead to more multiplatform games from Xbox, with the rumored Doom: The Dark Ages reportedly launching on PS5 day one. While it's plausible that Doom's status as a legacy IP may warrant a multiplatform release, it appears Microsoft could be looking at tentpole first-party franchises like Halo for its future multiplatform efforts. As per a new report from reputable industry insider Tom Warren writing for The Verge, Microsoft is in the early stages of developing a Halo: Combat Evolved remaster, and is considering a PS5 release for it.

Xbox Apparently Has More Multiplatform Ports in the Works

Warren does note that it's "early days" for the remaster, and that its planned platforms are undecided at this point. The insider also commented on Xbox's internal "Project Latitude" porting program, stating that first-party titles like Starfield, Age of Mythology: Retold, Age of Empires 2: Definitive Edition, Doom: The Dark Ages, and Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2 are under consideration for PS5 and other rival platforms. However, Warren mentions that Xbox's upcoming Games Showcase in June will "largely focus" on the company's exclusive games, and likely won't acknowledge the multiplatform push.

Beyond the potential landmark moment in the games industry where a Halo title could be natively sold on PlayStation, the existence of a Halo: Combat Evolved remaster itself is puzzling. The title was entirely remade in 2011 for its tenth anniversary and is perfectly playable on current-gen hardware, and even has Xbox Series X upgrades as part of the Master Chief Collection. Therefore, it's difficult to ascertain how a remaster would improve upon that, but if it does ultimately end up on PS5, the occasion would be nothing short of monumental.