UPDATE: Microsoft has released the second live-action advertisement through the eyes of the Master Chief.

“You’ve completed your mission, Agent Locke. Mine is just beginning.”

If things weren’t any more cryptic or mysterious, it looks like both of the trailers are an endgame scenario that might hint at alternate endings for Halo 5.

Original story is as follows.

In an advertisement during tonight’s episode of The Walking Dead, Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) has announced the Halo 5 release date for October 27, 2015 exclusively for the Xbox One.

Microsoft will be publishing two different live action trailers, one in the perspective of Agent Locke, and the other through the eyes of Master Chief. The footage is part of Halo 5‘s #HuntTheTruth Twitter campaign and showcases plot points from the game’s storyline.

You have only seen 1 of 2 @Halo 5 ads tonight, stay tuned….

— Aaron Greenberg (@aarongreenberg) March 30, 2015

The first trailer release was from the point of view of Agent Locke, the ONI Spartan operative charged with finding Master Chief. Spartan 117’s trailer will be released later tonight, and we’ll be sure to update the post when it goes live.

Locke’s ad is a rather tantalizing live-action trailer that features the ONI agent menacingly chiding a disheveled Master Chief, who sits broken among disastrous ruins. This isn’t a side of the Chief we’ve ever seen before, and it’s strange to see him sit and accept his fate like this.

Locke appears to be sentencing Spartan 117 as a traitor, repeatedly referring to him as a betrayer, revealing key tidbits about the plot to Halo 5: Guardians.

“All hail the conquering hero, the one who was supposed to save us all. But now I must save us, from you.”

The Halo 5 #HuntTheTruth ARG campaign has also received a new update, chronicling another chapter of UNSC war journalist Benjamin Giraud’s investigation into the truth behind the nebulous Master Chief.

It’ll be interesting to see what other details are unearthed in the ARG campaign, and what actually happened to Master Chief’s stalwart resolve.

On a more humorous note, industry veteran Wario64 noticed that 343i actually “revealed” Halo 5‘s launch date during the game’s beta test. The beta was 10.27GB, which matches up with newly revealed release date.

Halo 5 release date was revealed months ago in beta download size. pic.twitter.com/PfdSkpChF7

— Wario64 (@Wario64) March 30, 2015

Halo 5: Guardians is scheduled to release on October 27, 2015 exclusively for the Xbox One.

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UPDATE: The Halo 5 teaser site has been updated and reveals more details on the countdown content.

Apparently the ARG is focused on a journalist/war photographer named Benjamin Giraud who’s investigating the Master Chief’s legacy.

The update consists of a new three-minute voice recording that chronicles Giraud’s encounter with John 117, and kicks off his investigation on the legendary hero.

Below we have a transcription of Giraud’s bio that gives a brief look at the ARG:

“For decades, I’ve served the galaxy as a journalist and war photographer. I’ve covered human-interest stories on Earth and in the Inner and Outer Colonies.

“I’ve also contracted for the government, covering military affairs. I was at New Mombasa when the Master Chief first appeared to combat the Covenant attack.”

The site should be updated in the coming weeks with fresh recordings. 

Original story is as follows.

Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) has launched a curious new teaser Tumblr post for 343i’s Halo 5: Guardians that prompts gamers to “hunt the truth”.

The page is accompanied by a 15-second teaser trailer that looks to be symbolic war propaganda from the UNSC (or possibly the Office of Naval Intelligence) that ultimately demonizes Master Chief, labeling him a “traitor” presumably after he went rogue as a result of the events of Halo 4.

The post also has a cryptic Twitter hastag entitled #HuntTheTruth, which has seen widespread coverage.

It’s been speculated that the page is kicking off a new viral marketing campaign for Halo 5 somewhat similar to Bungie’s infamous ilovebees AR campaign for Halo 2.

This time around it looks like the viral campaign will be focused in the perspective of the game’s interplanetary military force, possibly delving into the socio-political aftermath of Earth losing one of it’s most beloved heroes.

What’s even more curious is a timer that’s counting down for Sunday, March 22 at 9:00 pm EST (6:00 pm PST) when, presumably, the page will be updated with new info or possibly a new trailer.

In other Halo news, 343i executive producer Josh Holmes confirmed that Halo 5 will have dedicated servers for online multiplayer and custom games, and peer-to-peer network will be nixed.

Also Agent Locke’s voice-over artist and mo-cap actor Mike Colter revealed that Cortana might make an appearance in Halo 5, and that Locke will be returning in future Halo games.

We’ll be sure to report on any new developments once the #HuntTheTruth page is updated, and it’ll be interesting to see what 343i has up their sleeves this time around.

Halo 5: Guardians is slated to release later this year exclusively on the Xbox One.

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Spoiler Warning: Major plot spoilers for Halo 4 are included below. If you haven’t finished the game yet be sure to turn away!

It looks like Cortana will make an appearance in 343 Industries’ new continuation of the sci-fi franchise, Halo 5: Guardians.

Mike Colter, the actor that portrays one of the game’s principal protagonists Agent Locke, name-dropped the iconic AI in a recent interview with IGN.

Although the interview was primarily focused on Colter’s Spartan hero, he mentioned that Cortana will be “involved” in Halo 5 despite the events that unfolded in Master Chief’s previous adventure:

“When he goes into Halo 5, you’ll see him transition into a Spartan, a super soldier. It’s a prominent role within the game. Obviously Master Chief will be involved, Cortana, but Locke will be one of the playable characters in Halo 5.

Now that’s just a brief tiny snippet with no actual substantial info, just what looks like a confirmation that Cortana’s in the game. We don’t know in what capacity, though, and she could easily appear in a flashback sequence on Master Chief’s side.

What we do know, though, is that gamers will see plenty of Commander James Locke during Halo 5‘s multi-faceted campaign. Colter also affirms Locke is here to stay for the forseeable future, and will return in future Halo games as well.

“He’ll have a prominent role. He’s one of the new additions that will be featured throughout the next couple of video games So you’ll see a lot of Commander James Locke.”

That last bit is kind of tricky. Does this mean Locke will replace Master Chief? Can Spartan 117 ever be replaced? Also will Halo 5 be the first game we don’t play as John 117?

I personally don’t think so, and it just won’t be the same without MC at the helm. Then again the franchise has to move forward and our old luck-infused “demon” can’t live forever…and Locke might be the next to carry the Mantle of Responsibility as Halo‘s new flagship icon.

The Halo 5 multiplayer beta test was a rousing success, generating some impressive stats and arming 343 Industries with valuable data.

In other exciting Halo news, executive producer Josh Holmes revealed that Halo 5 will have dedicated servers for everything from online matchmaking to custom games. Holmes confirmed that 343i plans to do away with the peer-to-peer style networking, eliminating the dreaded “host advantage” scenario.

“We only have dedicated servers for MP in Halo 5: Guardians,” Holmes confirmed in a post on the Beyond Entertainment forums. “That’s true for matchmaking AND customs. There is no P2P.”

No one knows exactly what’s in store for Halo fans when Guardians releases exclusively on Xbox One later this year, but everyone’s excited.

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Although the Halo 5: Guardians beta is scheduled to go live tomorrow, Xbox One gamers are already able to start download process in preparation of the big event.

To get your installation underway just fire up the Halo: Master Chief Collection, navigate to the Extras section on the Main Menu, and select the Halo 5 Beta section. Since the beta download clocks in at 10.26 GB of data, it’s a good idea to let your console sit for a bit.

Just don’t get too excited when the download finishes, as 343 isn’t starting up the servers until tomorrow morning.

Remember to watch 343i’s live action Halo: Nightfall series to get in-game extras for the beta, including an exclusive armor set straight from the series.

If the episodes don’t grab your fancy, you can always fast-forward through and collect your unlockables. But you should watch them, and also check out the second stories, which add some very real depth to the franchise and give you key insights on Agent Locke’s character.

If you can’t watch Nightfall be sure to redeem the code included in the Master Chief Collection. If you’re digital, try backing out of the game a few times, resetting your console, or checking your e-mail inbox; chances are Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) e-mailed you a code.

Some gamers are also reporting that they’ve had to “force quit” out of the Master Chief Collection in order for the beta pane to pop up. Basically you’ll want to hit the Xbox button to return to the main console screen, hit the Guide button, and select quit.

A bit ago, Halo 5‘s Studio Head Josh Holmes informed eager Spartans that they’d be able to pre-download the beta to ensure smooth entry when the servers went live around 9AM PST on December 29.

If you weren’t able to get into the limited preview alpha reserved for Xbox Preview members, there are a few things you can do to prep for the beta. Be sure to become familiar with Halo 5‘s new Spartan abilities, and check out some gameplay footage to get the flow of battle.

Overall the beta looks like it incorporates a new arena-based style for competitive multiplayer, and coupled with the new abilities like Smart Scope, Sprint and Thrust, combat should be quite dynamic and interesting.

For in-depth discussions and questions, drop by the Halo Reddit, as you’ll likely meet a bunch of new like-minded players who are just as excited as you are to play the beta.

The Halo 5: Guardians beta kicks off tomorrow, Dec. 29 at 9AM PST and will last until Jan. 18, 2015.

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The upcoming beta for Halo 5: Guardians will weigh a little over 10GB, reports have indicated.

This news comes from a sharp-eyed Redditor with the handle AJSwain who spotted a listing for the beta on his Xbox One console.

Halo 5 isn’t listed anywhere on the Xbox One’s Xbox Games Store, and cursory searches just loop users to the Master Chief Collection store page. But other Reddit users have reported that they’ve accessed this very same listing via the Extras section in the Master Chief Collection.

Within this section the Halo 5 beta has its own tab, and oddly enough it has become briefly active for some users, although they weren’t able to download anything.

According to the screen-cap, the beta’s install size clocks in at approximately 10.27 GB. It’s also worth mentioning that this size could change in the coming weeks.

The listing says some interesting things, revealing that players will be able to unlock “exclusive gear” via the interactive original series Halo: Nightfall as well as in the recently released Halo: MCC.

“Gear up for the Guardians beta by unlocking exclusive content in The Master Chief Collection and Halo: Nightfall. These exclusive items will carry over to Halo 5: Guardians.“

Also the 12/4/2014 release date is a placeholder, as we all know the beta will launch on Dec. 29 and run until Jan. 18, 2015.

In other Halo 5 news, Ready Up Live has released a huge hour-long gameplay video that showcases the game’s dynamic multiplayer in action. The footage showcases the game’s new Spartan abilities like Charge, Clamber, Slide and Smart Scope while shedding light on weapons and maps.

You can read more about Halo 5‘s Spartan abilities here.

So far the Guardians beta looks impressive, but gamers are dubious thanks to the Master Chief Collection‘s continued struggle with matchmaking. 343i actually released a new update today that aims to refine online matches, but the game is far from fixed, and is missing many of its online gametypes.

343 Industries recently apologized for the state of the game, and they’ve launched a slew of updates to help refine the game’s broken state.

Hopefully the team is able to focus on both the beta test as well as the Master Chief Collection, as beta access was a major perk in buying the Xbox One exclusive.

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