So the Xbox One’s launch has been a roaring success for Microsoft, but it’s unquestionable that if Halo 5 would’ve been present in its launch lineup, it would’ve pulled in even bigger numbers than the 1 million units Microsoft has thus far shifted.
Speaking to Kotaku regarding the future of the Xbox One, corporate vice president Phil Spencer explained why a Halo game didn’t release alongside the new console, discussing the impossibility of developers 343 Industries creating another game in the series so close to the release of Halo 4.
Spencer said: “A couple of years ago we had the discussion of: ‘Should we do Halo at launch and not do Halo 4 last year?’ But I was committed to getting Halo 4 done last year, and there was no way we were going to turn around with 343 a full Halo game in a year. So that was the plan we set on. I feel good about that.”
He continued: “Unlike some franchises that manage through 1,000 people, Halo is 343 and that team obviously has tight control.They are our Halo team.
“A discussion around having a Halo game at launch, a true Halo at launch, meaning like a Halo 4 or 5-size game, would have been something we’d have had to start two or three years ago. We had the discussion, and we thought having Halo 4 come out when it came out from 343 and having them really land their first full version of Halo that they developed internally would be great for the 360 customers, great for 343 in shipping something.”
Halo 4 was a great game, and it’s nice to know that Microsoft didn’t rush 343 into making a Halo 5 just so the Xbox One would have a killer game to launch with. A Halo game is confirmed to be in development for the new console, and in the meantime early adopters of the Xbox One can busy themselves with the excellent Forza Motorsport 5.
