A Misstep | Halo Co-Creator Slams the Lack of PvP in Campaign Evolved

Halo: Campaign Evolved has successfully brought the Master Chief into the modern era with a stunning Unreal Engine 5 visual overhaul, but the game is missing a crucial piece of its 2001 legacy. The absence of traditional competitive multiplayer has become a massive sticking point for the community, and now even the original creators of the franchise are weighing in. For full context, see our Campaign Evolved deep dive and launch guide.

Developed by a massive team at the newly rebranded Halo Studios, the remake has drawn praise for its campaign updates, but the multiplayer omissions and certain artistic choices have sparked intense debate.

The Team Behind the Remake

Rebuilding one of the most important first-person shooters in gaming history was no small task. The massive development team at Halo Studios was co-directed by Max Szlagor and Greg Hermann, but the project was heavily shaped by a talented roster of women across crucial leadership and design roles.

While the team has been praised for rebuilding the game's mechanics and lighting, their decision on what modes to include has left many players frustrated.

Will There Be Multiplayer?

To clarify the game's current status: Yes, there is multiplayer, but there is absolutely no Player vs. Player (PvP) combat.

Halo Studios chose to focus all of its resources entirely on the campaign experience. As a result, players can enjoy robust cooperative multiplayer. You can play through the entire story alongside your friends via 4-player online co-op, which features full cross-play between PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S, or via classic 2-player local split-screen on consoles.

However, you cannot shoot your friends in Blood Gulch. There is no traditional competitive multiplayer, and the studio has given no indication that it will be added in a future update. According to industry analysts, this glaring omission is likely a primary reason the game's early sales are trailing behind recent legacy rereleases from competitors like Call of Duty.

Franchise Co-Creator Marcus Lehto Speaks Out

The backlash over the missing PvP mode recently reached a boiling point when Marcus Lehto, one of the original co-creators of Halo and the designer of the Master Chief, publicly criticized the current state of the remake.

Taking to social media earlier today, Lehto did not mince words regarding the missing feature.

"Split screen MP in Campaign Evolved should have been included," Lehto stated. "There's little excuse aside from lack of oversight and poor planning that led to this misstep. So sad this wasn't included."

Lehto also took issue with some of the game's new art direction, specifically calling out the redesigned Halo ring seen on the main menu. He argued that the new design looks like "a shiny new toy" that completely loses the ancient, mysterious, and massive scale that the original 2001 menu conveyed.

Despite his sharp criticisms regarding the art direction and the lack of PvP, Lehto made it clear he is not entirely opposed to the remake. He noted that he recently finished a playthrough on the Heroic difficulty and praised the game's upgraded movement, cinematics, and "brilliant" lighting.

"It was simultaneously a blast from my own past and fresh re-envisioning of the game I helped create," he concluded. "Perfect, no. Fun, absolutely yes!"