The first day of the competition for the Halo World Championship 2025 has been done and gone and it was indeed one remarkable day. The game developer 343 Industries posted a tweet that outlined the first day’s happenings, stating: “Day 1️⃣ is in the books. A new game revealed, clutch plays, and epic cosplays… Let’s do it again tomorrow!” The new game which they are mentioning was the “Halo: Campaign Evolved” demo that was played right after the doors were opened with the streaming starting at 12 pm PT. However, the community’s reaction was not all positive as some were very excited, others confused, and some just plain disappointed.
The phrase “a new game revealed” was the first thing that the players noticed. And quite soon, a flood of replies asking the meaning of this followed. User FuriousaVT took the liberty of especially prominent remarks: “A remake isn’t a new game reveal when the same studio already remade it.” Which could be a great point?? The users are referring to the new “Halo: Campaign Evolved.” It does not have a new sequel, only another take at the original Halo: Combat Evolved campaign. Another user, LassoPhuvker, ironically remarked “Well..i don’t know about new but okay.” So, the “reveal” may not be that big a deal after all.
But, at the same time, there were people who held the opposite view. User Calm who was present at the Day 1 event commented, “Day one was amazing!” and substantiated his assertion with a hype photo. Moreover, another attendee, Serpent Monkey shared, “Had a blast! That second photo tho ;)” with a winking face so it is clear that something nice or even a little naughty was happening. Soul | COMMISSIONS closed~ was another one that spread the good vibes, hoping that everyone enjoyed their prints and that the community was having fun. Thus, the people that attended showed that the energy is for real.
Another of the main sources of dispute is the access to the gaming sessions. The tweet states “Play Halo: Campaign Evolved when doors open tomorrow,” but it is only for those who are physically present at the HWC event. This has not gone down well with the majority of the fanbase watching from home. User The_xTooPalex simply inquired, “If community members are getting access to playtests, how can we sign up for them? Or is it only influencers that get access to that?” This is the question that a lot of players are asking. Will the demos be reserved only for streamers and industry people? UEGShadowAngel replied this saying, “From everything I’ve seen so far it seems to be influencers getting access but don’t quote me on it.” And Master MariK gave vent to his frustration by responding to another user, “I was so hype until they said you could play the demo if you were there. Would be nice if they allowed the rest of us to be a part too.” This case is a typical contradiction in the contemporary gaming industry—those who go to the event and the whole world audience not being able to share the experience.
Moreover, gamers have been very clear about what they want fixed and surprisingly, a good number of the replies is concerning the assault rifle’s magazine size. It sounds incredible, but it’s the truth! Roman4538 was very vocal, “Honestly, whoever decided the assault rifle should have 32 rounds instead of 60 made a poor decision. Please fix!!!” D3rpy simply requested, “Please have the AR have a 60-round magazine.” And Spaz1NOuT was even more direct: “PLEASE CHANGE THE ASSAULT RIFLE BACK TO THE MA5B.” It is quite difficult to understand how the whole community can be talking about a gun’s stat so much and that it can be a topic of discussion.
There is more than this; players are already thinking about the future of the franchise beyond the campaign remake, RipShaDe wrote, “Please tease halo 7. We need that mp. We need to see where this franchise is going and a remastered remake ain’t it. It looks gorgeous but we need that next big and new mainline halo game.” Honestly, a part of the player community sees the remake as a good stop-gap until they are offered a real, brand-new Halo experience. On the contrary, user ThelVanDamne was nostalgic of a different kind as he asked, “You guys forget that it should be celebrating 10 years of halo 5 or nah?” which, ouch, that’s a whole different can of worms right there.
Odd and inventive things that are not made by the developers showed up as well. Wikus Van De Merwe came up with the idea, “I have an idea. The Master Chief wakes up from his hibernation pod after a trash avalanche and finds the world he saved is filled with morons.” So, this is just the usual chaos on PlayStation.
And besides all the discussions about the game, one cannot but appreciate the moments between the community. VoltageWolfX was full of praise: “Whoever is wearing the linkin park cap in the top right pictures is so based! ❤️🙏🏻” These minute human details are what actually remind us it’s a gathering of real people and not just a corporate event.
So, what did we learn from Day 1? 343 Industries sure got people to talk; they certainly created a lot of buzz around the event, but at the same time, they provoked quite a debate among the larger community mostly about what constitutes a “new” game and who gets to play it first. The need for an authentic Halo 7 is quite strong, and the gamers are very specific about which aspects of gameplay they want to be refined. Day 2 will showcase more “Halo: Campaign Evolved” gameplay—thus remain tuned to the stream to see if 343 has any feedback from this or if they have another surprise for us. The Halo community is lively, passionate, and definitely not afraid to voice out their opinions. So, let’s see what tomorrow is going to bring upon us on Xbox.
