Xbox head Phil Spencer has weighed in on the Halo 5: Guardians split-screen debate.
Guardians marks the first time split-screen co-op will not be available in the franchise.
Spencer said it all boiled down to design decisions.
“In the end, the teams make decisions based on the bar that they want to hit for complexity of what they’re going to run on a single box,” he said to Gamespot. “We see the robustness of what Xbox Live is today and where people are playing across Xbox Live–you at your house, me at our house. We know that’s the vast majority of the co-op play. With Halo 5, the team really wanted to focus on making that experience great, both visually on the screen that you’re looking at, and all the systems in place.”
Spencer did admit that split-screen co-op was “how multiplayer in Halo was born”, but asserted that times had changed.
“I think the team made a trade-off based on what they see happening in the market today and what they wanted to do with their game,” he said. “I love the nostalgia of the couch co-op of what Halo did in the past, but I also know in the realities of the day with people’s busy lives, it’s not as easy to get everybody in the same physical place. It’s one of the advantages that Xbox Live obviously offers.”
This article may contain affiliate links, meaning we could earn a small commission if you click-through and make a purchase. Stevivor is an independent outlet and our journalism is in no way influenced by any advertiser or commercial initiative.
