Why 343 Industries ditched split-screen with Halo 5: Guardians

Last week, in a lengthy post to Halo Waypoint, 343 Industries talked in great detail co-op campaign gameplay in Halo 5: Guardians. Among the issues discussed was the removal of split-screen support from the game — a decision that has been greeted with mixed reaction from fans.

Speaking on the topic, the developers called the decision to remove split-screen "one of the most difficult ones we've ever had to make as a studio."

"We know that for many of our fans, Halo has meant playing together with friends in the same room. We all have great memories of past Halo split-screen multiplayer matches," executive producer Josh Holmes began to explain, adding that "tough choices had to be made" in order to "move Halo's gameplay forward and deliver a true next-gen experience."

"Our decision was driven by a desire for scale, fidelity and focus to ensure that we would deliver the best quality experience possible. With Halo 5 we are delivering massive scale environments, improved AI behavior, increased visual and gameplay fidelity… something that truly takes advantage of a new platform," he explained.

"Many of our ambitious goals for Halo 5 would be compromised in a split-screen setting and the time spent optimizing and addressing split-screen-specific issues would take focus from building other parts of the game. Game development is a balancing act of resources, time and technology, and in this case we made the tough decision to sacrifice something that’s been near and dear to us all."

Holmes went on to promise fans a Halo 5 campaign story "big enough to fill the worlds we've created for it," adding that the co-operative gameplay with an ensemble cast of characters — designed from the ground up — is supported by "the gameplay mechanics, scale features and technology required to make it sing."

That's some big promises to fill. Hopefully Halo 5 can live up to the expectations 343 has set forth because they are ditching a pretty major feature that has helped set Halo apart from other games for years.

Halo 5: Guardians will release on October 27, 2015, exclusively for Xbox One.