14 DAY TRIAL // Neither the development team at 343 Industries nor publisher Microsoft have offered any sort of official information on Halo 5: Guardians, but an actor involved with the franchise is now claiming that the protagonist of the story will be Agent Locke rather than Master Chief.
In an interview that appeared in print and was then captured by a fan of the series in screenshot form, Mike Colter, who will be Agent Locke in the upcoming Nightfall live action series, explains that gamers will be able to play as him in the future title and that the reasons will be clear once the Halo: The Master Chief Collection is launched.
He says, “I'll have some cool weaponry, and some cool abilities, because by that time I'll be a Spartan IV.”
Apparently, Halo 5: Guardians begins with Agent Locke trying to find Master Chief, but it is unclear how long players will spend with the new character or whether they will be able to control the old favorite at any point.
Colter adds, “What's not known, is whether I'm a friend or foe. The relationship between Master Chief and Jameson Locke is going to be interesting. Because what's the outcome? Is he dead or alive? Because that's usually what a manhunt comes down to, dead or alive, but you won't know what the purpose of finding Master Chief is.”
Microsoft has not offered any reaction to the comments from the actor.
Gamers might be unhappy with a leading man switch
Halo 5: Guardians is a very big release for Microsoft, and if fans react negatively to the introduction of Agent Locke as a leading man, the development team at 343 Industries will need to make major changes to the title in very short time.
Traditionally, Master Chief has been the center of the series and initial rumors about the new title suggested that gamers will need to use him, improved with new abilities and weapons, to stop yet another threat that aims to take out all the life in the galaxy.
Leaks also suggested that Cortana would play a bigger role than before and that some old characters might make return appearances.
Halo: The Master Chief collection will be offered on the Xbox One home console on November 11 and those who pick it up can access the Nightfall series and will also get access to the beta teasing period for Halo 5: Nightfall, which is expected to arrive in late 2015.