Halo: Combat Evolved remake reveal at HaloWC gathers steam as Master Chief voice actor uploads cryptic message

The hype for a new Halo game is climbing steadily in the gaming community as Steve Downes, the iconic voice actor behind Master Chief since the series' debut in 2001, has hinted at impending “big news for the franchise, just days ahead of the HaloWC event scheduled for October 24 to October 26.

Just at the heels of the Halo World Championship 2025, Downes shared a cryptic message on X, on October 15, 2025, posting a photo of himself from the recent Collect-A-Con event in Chicago, sporting an “I Love Cortana” t-shirt, and expressed glee about meeting up with Jen Taylor, the voice actor for Cortana, at the upcoming Halo World Championship in Seattle.

He wrote, “Jen and I can’t wait to see you guys at the Halo World Championship in Seattle, October 24 and 25! PS: BIG NEWS A’COMIN!!” Downes’s tease is fueling further speculation about Microsoft and Halo Studios’ confirmed announcements at the tournament, where the studio is scheduled to discuss its future projects.

This tease comes amid Halo Studios' reaffirmed plans from September 2025 to reveal “what we’ve been working on” during the event, with the studio promising a main stage appearance and a “deep dive” panel that fans won’t want to miss.” 

As for the Halo World Championship running from October 24 to October 26 at the Seattle Convention Center in Washington, 16 top teams will compete for glory in Halo Infinite. Teams will compete for a prize pool exceeding $1 million. This year is set to be the biggest gathering in Halo’s history, with many forward-looking reveals from Halo Studios.

Microsoft has already confirmed that multiple Halo projects are in ongoing development. However, details remain scarce, and the company has not specified whether the announcement will focus on games, expansions, or new media tie-ins.

However, fans are fixated on one persistent rumor. One of these projects is speculated to be a full remake of the original 2001 Halo: Combat Evolved, potentially targeting not just Xbox and PC, but also PlayStation 5 and the Nintendo Switch 2.

Leaks suggest that the remake will reportedly be co-developed by Halo Studios alongside Abstraction and Virtuos, and will incorporate newer mechanics such as sprinting to comply with modern contemporary standards.

Further leaks suggest that the game will use a hybrid engine, overhauling visuals with Unreal Engine 5, while the Blam engine will handle core gameplay.