Microsoft is reportedly working on a remaster of Bungie’s classic first-person shooter Halo: Combat Evolved and is eyeing up a PlayStation release – alongside multi-console releases for the likes of Hellblade 2 and the next Doom – potentially marking a landmark moment for one of Xbox’s most recognisable exclusives.
That’s according to The Verge’s Tom Warren, who (in the site’s paywalled Notepad newsletter) says a new Halo: Combat Evolved remaster is currently in the early stages of development. It’s one of several new games reportedly being considered for Project Latitude – Microsoft’s internal name for its new multi-console release strategy – following multi-console launches for Sea of Thieves, Grounded, Pentiment, and Hi-Fi Rush earlier this year.
Other Xbox games currently being considered for a multi-console release are said to include Doom: The Dark Ages (seemingly set for a reveal during this weekend’s Xbox Games Showcase), Hellblade 2, Starfield, Age of Empires 2: Definitive Edition, and Age of Mythology.
Warren notes this doesn’t mark a full multi-console strategy shift for Microsoft, with the company still retaining some titles as Xbox exclusives. Gears 6, Playground Games’ Fable reboot, and We Happy Few developer Compulsion’s South of Midnight – all set to feature in this weekend’s showcase according to Warren, with the latter two likely getting 2025 release dates – are reportedly not currently being considered for a multi-console release.
This isn’t the first time we’ve heard Microsoft is considering bringing more Xbox titles to other consoles, of course. Reports surfaced in February claiming Starfield had been earmarked for a potential PlayStation release, alongside MachineGames’ upcoming Indiana Jones and the Great Circle.
In May, it was reported Microsoft executives have been pushing for a no “red line” approach to bringing Xbox titles to PlayStation and Nintendo platforms, in a bid to increase margins. That claim came in the wake of last year’s $69bn acquisition of Activision Blizzard, and Microsoft’s decision to close a number of Bethesda studios – including Hi-Fi Rush developer Tango Gameworks and Redfall studio Arkane Austin – as it refocuses on what it called “priority games”.
There’s no word on when Microsoft might announce a fresh batch of multi-console releases for its Xbox titles, but Warren says he’s not expecting any Project Latitude news during Sunday’s Xbox Games Showcase. That’s being livestreamed at 6pm UK time (10am PT, 1pm ET) on 9th June, and an hour-long Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 presentation will air immediately after.
