Halo Campaign Evolved 'looks like a game from 2017,' original Bungie dev says

Original Bungie concept artist Eddie Smith shares his thoughts on the new Halo Campaign Evolved, saying that the game could look much more photorealistic than it does.

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Halo Campaign Evolved is set to launch sometime this summer, capping 25 years of the iconic franchise with the series' first-ever release on PlayStation. A lot has changed over the years, and hype for Halo has died down as big competitors establish sometimes-fleeting footholds in gaming. But grizzled franchise veterans still find some old magic in Campaign Evolved trailer, stirring the bones of once-mighty shooter series.

With Microsoft's business model being somewhat contentious, it's always interesting to hear what the OG Bungie forerunners think about Halo, especially with the new remake. One old-school Halo dev, concept artist Eddie Smith, tells Halo community pro Mint Blitz that he essentially expected more from the Campaign Evolved trailer.

"Well honestly, I'm not really impressed, only because I think the engine is doing most of the work. I think that they could do more to push the engine way further than it can go," Smith said in the interview.

"I think the game doesn't look like it was made in 2026, it looks more like it was made in 2017, maybe 2019. Because I know what Unreal Engine can do, I'd want to see Halo pushed beyond limits. One example--it's not the same genre, but if you look at how well it holds up--is Red Dead Redemption 2. Look at how great that game looks, it's almost a decade old."

Smith argues that Halo Studios' decision to nix multiplayer should give the team more room to innovate and push the uniquely hybridized UE5 + Halo Reach engine to new heights. This could be expressed in things that have yet to be revealed, such as new unlockable skulls that might change gameplay in unique and unpredictable ways.

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The artist says that Halo CE 2026 should almost look realistic in some aspects, which seems like a tough call for a game running on a phantom legacy engine.

"Having no multiplayer is all the more reason why you want to push it, you can completely push that thing to its limits. I think it should look photorealistic," Smith said, staying objective with his criticism.

"It looks like much better graphics than the first one, but like I said, I don't mean to be negative about it, but in my honest opinion, I wasn't overall impressed with how it looked based on how games are capable of looking today. Especially with an iconic game like that."

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"This is a game you'd really want to push the limits and innovate with it. I'm talking about innovate from a tech standpoint, not necessarily a visual standpoint.

"You don't have to redesign anything, but what you can do is redesign the maps, redesign the textures, redesign the game to where...let's say the Forerunner buildings...how would they look in real life? While still keeping the same visual integrity and snap-read themes from the original game."

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Smith points to one of the most iconic pieces of Master Chief art of all time to help underline his point. The painting was made during Halo 2's production:

"A perfect example is in Chief Awakens painting I did a long time ago. It's the Chief from Combat Evolved, but what it would look like if it were a live action movie."

According to unofficial leaks, Halo Campaign Evolved should launch in July, possibly with a more expensive deluxe edition offering 5 days of early access.

Halo Studios has yet to confirm or announce a release date for the game.