Developer 343 Industries explains the unpopular decision to remove split-screen from Halo 5: Guardians.
When 343 Industries revealed that Halo 5: Guardians would not include split-screen, fan reaction ranged from disappointment to anger. In a blog post on Halo Waypoint, the developer explained that while the decision was difficult, they felt it was a necessary big picture determination.
“The decision to remove split-screen support from Halo 5: Guardians was one of the most difficult ones we’ve ever had to make as a studio,” the blog post reads. “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. To move Halo’s gameplay forward and deliver a true next-gen experience, tough choices had to be made.”
343 states that the decision to remove split-screen from Halo 5 was “driven by a desire for scale, fidelity, and focus,” and that many of their goals for the game would be compromised in a split-screen setting. In addition, they say that spending the time addressing split-screen specific issues would take focus away 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.”
“We are telling a story at a truly galactic scale with Halo 5’s campaign. A story big enough to fill the worlds we’ve created for it. This is a campaign that has been designed from the ground up to support co-operative play with an ensemble cast of characters, and is supported by the gameplay mechanics, scale, features and technology required to make it sing. We’re really pleased with the way it’s shaping up and we can’t wait for you guys to try it, and hopefully enjoy it as much as we are.”
