Halo 5: Guardians Set for Fall 2015

After many rumors and much speculation, we finally have a release window (as well as an updated title) for Halo 5, although it’s one that might disappoint some fans. Halo 5: Guardians is set to release sometime in fall 2015.

Some people are understandably upset that it isn’t coming out this year, but Microsoft has repeated its earlier statements that the trailer shown at last year’s E3 was never meant to be for Halo 5 specifically, but rather to alert fans that the Xbox One Halo “journey” would begin in 2014.

However, Microsoft still isn’t going to tell us what the 2014 part of the journey entails. 343 Industries General Manager Bonnie Ross has said more information about that will be revealed at E3. Of course, the most popular rumor is that a Halo 2 Anniversary remake will be released this year, which would match previous rumors.

Rumors are flying about Halo 5, as well, so let’s take them one at a time. First, the official art (pictured above) shows another Spartan. Early reactions suggested the character would be Cortana in human form, Kelly-087, or Sarah Palmer. However, executive producer Josh Holmes shot them all down with a single message:

For everyone speculating about the mysterious Spartan in Halo 5: Guardians, he’s not Palmer (or Cortana!). He’s a NEW character. 🙂 #Halo

— Josh Holmes (@JoshingtonState) May 16, 2014

Note that this character is referred to as he, so this isn’t a female Spartan. (And since Holmes clearly calls him a “mysterious Spartan,” he probably isn’t the Bornstellar-Didact, either.) As for him being a new character, that still leaves some room for interpretation. If it merely means new to the games, rather than the entire Halo universe, he could be an existing character from other media.

Moving on to a related topic, look very closely at the breast of the armor on the right side (the Spartan’s left side). There’s a tiny emblem there, and it shows what appears to be the symbol for ONI (Office of Naval Intelligence). Therefore, this Spartan is most likely either an intelligence agent or closely linked to one.

And for the last rumor, have these “Guardians” mentioned in the title been present for the entire series? Ever since the first game, if you die in multiplayer and no player is responsible (for example, if the boundary turrets in Snowbound kill you), the game credits the death to “the Guardians.” Even Halo Waypoint acknowledges them.

Is it just a coincidence, an arbitrary word used for these occurrences now re-used in an entirely different context? We probably won’t know for sure until 2015.

Enjoy this piece of concept art, remember not to take any of our speculation and rumors too seriously, and share your own theories in the comments below.