Microsoft has finally confirmed the existence of Halo 5: Guardians for the Xbox One and announed that it would release in 2015 (as indicated by a recent leak earlier this year).
Speaking on Xbox Wire, General Manager of 343 Industries Bonnie Ross wrote that, “‘Halo’ isn’t simply a perennial game franchise, it’s a part of the Xbox platform itself. In terms of innovation and ideation, it’s sometimes important to people who might not even play ‘Halo.’ And of course it’s a passion and an essential experience for two generations of gamers. So we asked ourselves, how do we begin and where do we go with ‘Halo’ on Xbox One?
“In the past, ‘Halo’ games have pushed the Xbox forward, showcasing the console and its ecosystem in entertaining and innovative ways. Making a ‘Halo’ game that runs at 60 frames per second, on dedicated servers, with the scope, features and scale we’ve been dreaming of for more than a decade, is non-trivial. It’s a task that we, at 343 Industries, are taking very seriously to ensure we deliver the ‘Halo’ game that fans deserve, and a game that is built from the ground up for Xbox One.”
Halo 5: Guardians seems to star a female Spartan alongside Master Chief and will be a much bigger effort than Halo 5 with 343 Industries promising a new and more powerful engine. “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.”
But that’s not all. Ross also stated that, “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.”
Take what you will from that but we believe it means Halo 2 Anniversary will be arriving on the Xbox One this year. What are your thoughts on the same? Let us know in the comments.