14 DAY TRIAL // For a long time, the development team at 343 Industries and publisher Microsoft said that the first public access to the beta for Halo 5: Guardians would be offered on December 29, as a special bonus for those who bought the Halo: The Master Chief Collection package, but it seems that another group of gamers will be the first to actually play the multiplayer component of the much awaited shooter.
All those who are registered to the Xbox One Preview program will be able to get into the beta starting later today and will be able to play all the included content from Week 1 until December 21 at 11:59 Pacific Time.
The e-mail message to those who might be interested in taking part, obtained by AllGamesBeta, adds, “This is the earliest release for any beta in the history of the Halo franchise. Our focus is on testing the gameplay systems and services for the game so we can then use this data to improve the final release in fall of 2015. You may experience bugs while playing, but this is normal in a beta period and is useful for our development teams.”
Two codes will be offered to members in order to then use them to get the multiplayer component.
The full beta is still set to arrive on December 29 for long-time fans and will grow to contain 7 maps, 3 game types, and a range of weapons, all of them designed to expand the range of experience associated with the franchise.
All those who experience Halo 5: Guardians are encouraged to offer feedback and to give the team at 343 Industries hints about how they want the experience to play when it is offered on the Xbox One late during 2015.
Halo 5: Guardians is focused on innovation
The upcoming game in the series will be the first to be created from the ground up with the capabilities of the Xbox One in mind.
Master Chief will be the centerpoint of the single-player story, but it is unclear whether he will be playable from the start, with the voice actor for Agent Locke, introduced recently in the Halo Nightfall series, saying that his role will also be important.
When it comes to multiplayer, 343 Industries and Microsoft are aiming to introduce a range of new mechanics, including Smart Scope and sprinting, that many fans might not be comfortable with at first.
