Halo: Campaign Evolved’s Changes Criticized by Original Level Designer

There’s a lot of hype around Halo: Campaign Evolved, whether it’s the fact that Halo Studios is remaking (rather than remastering) the first game or its status as the first Halo title on PlayStation. However, not everyone is super-thrilled about the changes, including former developers like Jamie Griesemer.

Griesemer worked on the first game as a level designer (and even as a design lead on Halo 2 and 3), and expressed displeasure with some of the changes showcased in The Silent Cartographer gameplay. “You aren’t supposed to be able to take the Warthog up to steamroll the Hunters. I intentionally placed rocks in the way so you had to fight them on foot. When you can just smash the crates out of the way, it wrecks the encounters.” He also lamented the addition of trees in the “WooHoo Jump”’s landing area.

When asked about his thoughts on the addition of sprint, Griesemer said the fact that it’s an option is “the biggest red flag for a dysfunctional design.” “We have no vision for what this is supposed to be, here’s the tools to fix it yourself.”

Of course, he’s aware that it’s a no-win situation for the development team and simply said they should, “’Keep getting them checks.’ Remakes and remasters are soul-destroying, and I feel for any dev working on one. They can’t win, and even if they do, they won’t get credit. Bad situation unless you are getting paid $$$.”

Developed with Unreal Engine 5 while utilizing Halo’s legacy code as the core, Halo: Campaign Evolved includes four-player campaign co-op, the addition of three weapons from later entries, a drivable Wraith, and three new prequel missions featuring Master Chief and Sgt. Johnson. It launches in 2026 for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC.