Rumor Mill – Halo: Combat Evolved Remake Is in Development

Sources are claiming that publisher Microsoft and developer 343 Industries are working on a remake of the first person shooter Halo: Combat Evolved, the video game which launched the entire well known science fiction based franchise, which could be launched as early as late 2011.

The rumor comes from Games Master, a magazine based in the United Kingdom, which says that the news has come out of so called “industry chatter”.

When Stephen McGill, the man who leads the Xbox division in the United Kingdom, has been asked about the rumor he replied, “”I imagine it's a good idea”, which is more than the usual no comment stance that big companies are adopting when such information pops up.

Games Master also talks about an entirely new Halo based shooter which will be released at some point during 2012.

Halo: Combat Evolved was launched in 2001 and can be played on the original Xbox home console, on its follow up the Xbox 360 but also on the PC, with the last update to the game coming last year.

The experience was notable because of the rechargeable shield mechanics, the unique nature of each weapon and the well designed enemies.

Combat Evolved also had interesting stories, which seemed at the time closer to hard sci fi than other video games.

Microsoft has not offered any clues about the future of Halo after the launch of this years, Reach, which was created by Bungie and was well received by reviewers and by players.

Phil Spencer, who leads the Microsoft Game Studios, has said that the company is interested in launching Halo based content every year, but that does not mean that a new full game will actually arrive each fall.

Other sources have suggested that Halo might be taking a break as 343 Industries, the company which is now in charge of developing it, gets the people it needs and decides on which ideas to pursue.