Halo: Campaign Evolved now ready for launch

Amid the ongoing debacle surrounding Sony's decision to end production of physical discs, Halo Studios has just announced completion of Halo: Campaign Evolved, a full-scale remake of the original 2001 game for the PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S and PC. In what may have been a sly jab at Sony, Microsoft clearly states that "physical discs" will very much be part of the game's launch.

"Gold" means that game development has officially wrapped up and is ready for launch, but is no guarantee the game will arrive without issues. Given that the launch is just around the corner, the studio will likely shift focus to testing and last-minute patching. Players with Early Access will be able to begin playing on July 23, five days before the full launch on July 28. Either way, the game is now available for pre-order.

Halo: Campaign Evolved aims to both remake and reimagine the original Combat Evolved, adding nine new weapons, hackable and pilotable vehicles, expanded difficulty options and refreshed visuals. However, its development has hardly been free of controversy, ranging from indications that generative AI was heavily used in its creation to allegations of a hostile work environment, nepotism and poor management. Hence, one could be forgiven for having doubts that Halo: Campaign Evolved may not live up to the hype.