Halo 5 Release Date Delayed Until 2015, Beta Plot Details Leaked

The Halo 5 release date has been delayed until late 2015 according to the latest Halo 5 news and rumors. But we’ve also had some minor Halo 5 plot details leaked to keep us busy speculating about the future of the Microsoft franchise.

In a related report by The Inquisitr, Microsoft is apparently considering releasing a cheaper $399 Xbox One console that comes without a disc drive and relies upon the Xbox Live digital marketplace. There’s also a rumor that a Xbox One patch may increase GPU performance by allowing games to use sections usually reserved for the Kinect 2.0.

There were hints that the Halo 5 release date might be postponed when the game failed to make Microsoft’s official Xbox One 2014 games list. But Halo PR manager Rob Semsey was quick to reassure fans this was all a mistake:

“Xbox Wire today mentioned a few 2014 titles; Halo on Xbox One not listed due to official name of the next title not announced yet. Rest assured your next Halo journey WILL begin in 2014. #staycalm.”

The latest Halo 5 rumors are contradicting this official stance by claiming we won’t see Master Chief’s new adventures until November of 2015. But that’s not to say we won’t see our favorite armored warrior at all. Both Halo 3 and Halo 4 are claimed to be ported to the Xbox One this year.

What may have fans more excited is the November 11, 2014 release date of Halo 2: Anniversary Edition. Just like the original Halo Anniversary Edition, Halo 2 will be getting a major facelift by the same development team that did the first port. Since this is the Xbox One we’re talking about, it should be assumed the graphics should be majorly improved. Besides nostalgia, and the option of wielding dual needlers again, this bundle is claimed to include access to the Halo 5 beta. And that’s where the leaked Halo 5 plot details come into play.

The only thing official is the trailer showing Master Chief walking through the desert and confronting a promethean giant. But a leaked pre-order page had a Halo 5 plot summary that said Master Chief was on the run with a mysterious data chip in a galaxy where sentient life was being mercilessly hunted. It’s expected this will lead into a new plot line currently dubbed the Reclaimer Trilogy.

In addition, the featured picture at the top of this article is concept art from Nicolas ‘Sparth’ Bouvier, who is the art director for the Halo franchise. Fans claim it’s definitely the UNSC Infinity because of the specialized Forerunner engines it uses are unique in the Halo universe and it’s also possible the concept art shows another halo installation. And since the Spartan Ops are tied to that ship it seems likely we’ll be seeing a return of the CoOp mode in Halo 5, or whatever they decide to call it.

The final Halo 5 rumor is based upon the fact that 343 Industries was looking to hire someone to create “episodic content.” This makes sense since there’s supposedly going to be at least two more live action Halo movies to compliment Halo: Forward Unto Dawn. Microsoft has also been trying to position the Xbox One as an all-in-one entertainment system so it’s possible Halo 5 will play a part in that business strategy by intermixing Halo TV episodes with shorter chunks of Halo game episodes (let’s just hope it’s not a monthly pay to play).

So, all in all, it’s possible the Halo 5 release date won’t be delayed at all because there technically won’t be a single big game. Even if that speculation is incorrect the rumors claim E3 2014 will see a Halo announcement of some sort. What do you think of the Halo 5 news and rumors?