A refreshing update is needed for the outdated Halo game series.
The iconic Halo franchise, celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2026, is set to embark on a new chapter with a significant announcement at the Halo World Championship in October 2025. This eagerly-awaited revelation, expected to signal a reboot or remake, may be titled *Halo: A New Dawn*.
Preparations for this new beginning involve a shift from the Slipspace engine to Unreal Engine 5, marking a technical and creative "clean break" from past challenges. This change allows for more advanced and flexible development, potentially paving the way for a more immersive and engaging gaming experience.
The rebranding from 343 Industries to Halo Studios signifies a strategic effort to shed past baggage and revitalize the franchise with a renewed vision and approach. The studio aims to streamline the franchise's dense and complicated lore, focusing on essential elements and core storytelling to make the series more accessible to new players without alienating longtime fans.
Halo Studios is also introducing Project Foundry, a multi-disciplinary research initiative that will be used to carefully craft and test narrative and gameplay elements, ensuring they resonate on multiple levels. The studio's intent is to reboot with clarity and cohesion, balancing respect for the franchise’s legacy with a clearer, more inviting narrative framework.
The forthcoming announcement is expected to modernize Halo's gameplay and narrative while addressing longstanding accessibility and complexity issues within the franchise's lore, potentially restoring the series as a flagship Xbox and cross-platform experience going forward.
Since changing hands from Bungie, the Halo series has experienced declining relevance and controversial releases. However, a reboot could provide a fresh start and a chance to reclaim the franchise's former glory. The remake of Halo: Combat Evolved, heavily rumoured, could capitalize on nostalgia and goodwill, but it should aim to subvert expectations.
The original Halo, a system seller for the original Xbox, set the standard for online play in video games with Halo 2. The first three games in the series had a narrative that appealed to casual fans and hinted at deeper mysteries, leaving many big mysteries unanswered, such as the true nature of the Halos, their creators, and the origin of the Flood.
Halo Studios will share information about its upcoming projects at the HaloWC 2025 in October, promising a bold reboot or remake effort that embraces new technology and a fresh creative direction. The integration of novels and comics into the games' canon has caused some players to feel alienated, but the studio's focus on accessibility suggests an effort to address these concerns and broaden the franchise's appeal.
In the wake of the shift from the Slipspace engine to Unreal Engine 5 and the rebranding of 343 Industries to Halo Studios, anticipation builds for the upcoming announcement at the Halo World Championship in October 2025. This potential reboot or remake, expected to address accessibility issues and modernize the Halo series, may be titled Halo: A New Dawn and attempt to subvert expectations.
