Halo 5: Guardians Coming Fall 2015
Halo 5: Guardians is the name of the next instalmlent of the acclaimed science fiction first-person shooter series. 343 Industries head Bonnie Ross officially announced the game today on Xbox Wire, stating that the game will release on the Xbox One in fall 2015.
Apart from talking about a new engine and the fact that the game will run at 60 frames per second and utilise dedicated servers for online multiplayer, details about the title were sparse. However Microsoft promised that more information will be revealed at this year’s E3.
“Halo 5: Guardians is a bigger effort than Halo 4. That applies to the content and scope of the game, as well as the technology in what’s now a brand new and more powerful engine. Certainly there are some core elements carried over from prior games, but we’ve invested a huge effort in retooling our tech to take full advantage of the Xbox One’s hardware and ecosystem to create worlds and experiences worthy of next-gen.”
Halo 5 will be the first full game in the franchise to be released since Halo 4 in 2012 and the first on the Xbox One. A spin-off title, Halo: Spartan Assault, was also released for mobile devices and later both Xbox platforms last year.
The series has been the flagship product of Xbox platforms since the original release in 2001. It has since gone on to produce a number of sequels, prequels and spin-offs along with a variety of novels, comics and toys.
Although Bungie was responsible for creating the franchise the developer split from Microsoft in 2007 to become independent. Microsoft then created 343 Industries to carry on producing further games. Bungie is now working on Destiny, which is expected to be the most expensive game ever when it releases later this year.
Ross later elaborated that we will be seeing Halo on the console at some point this year, saying “in 2014, Halo combat will truly evolve and your journey with Halo on Xbox One begins.”
This suggests that fans will get their fix of Halo in some form at some point this year, however how it will be delivered is still a mystery. There have been rumours for some time that Halo 2 Anniversary is under development. It would be a HD remake of the hit Xbox game, featuring updated graphics and remastered sounds, much in the same vain as 2011’s Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary.
“Many fans noted that I was very deliberate with my phrasing on stage at E3 last year. I spoke about a ‘journey,’ rather than a destination and that journey definitely begins in 2014 with a giant leap, rather than one small step.”
As part of the announcement it was also revealed that Steven Spielberg’s Halo TV series will also begin airing around the time Halo 5 hits store shelves.