It seems publishers are trying to get ahead of the inevitable pre-E3 game announcement leaks by coming right out and letting us all know about some of the big titles they will be showing during their media briefings. Yesterday, it was Far Cry 4. Today, it is Halo 5!
Or Halo 5: Guardians, to be specific. 343 Industries has confirmed that the next chapter in the story of Master Chief will launch in fall 2015 for Xbox One.
In the words of Bonnie Ross, General Manager at 343 Industries:
I’m happy to reveal that “Halo 5: Guardians,” the next installment in the legendary saga of the Master Chief, will launch on Xbox One in fall of 2015. In the tradition of every “Halo” game since its debut in 2001, it is a massive and exciting project.
“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.
It’s a game that will hopefully demonstrate the talent, learnings and abilities of the 343 Industries team. A game that will incorporate the things we learned from “Halo 4” about technology, aesthetics, performance and scale – and perhaps more importantly, understanding and embracing a community of gamers who love what lies at the heart of this game, and the limitless potential of the “Halo” universe.
Here’s another quote eluding to some sort of Halo-related project for this year:
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. We’ll give you much more information about our plans for this year at the Xbox E3 2014 Media Briefing on June 9, and we’re confident that “Halo” fans will be pretty excited about the special plans we have in store.
Hmmm… That sounds like a tease for the Xbox One Halo 2: Anniversary HD remake that’s been rumored about for a while. It would make sense for Microsoft to put that out this holiday season to drive Xbox One sales with the Halo name and help tide series fans over until Halo 5. We’ll find out more about this Halo “journey” next month!
The Halo Journey [Xbox Wire]