Please support Game Informer. Print magazine subscriptions are less than $2 per issue
343 Industries Says Halo 5: Guardians Online Co-op Requires Xbox Live Gold After All
Representatives from 343 Industries reached out to us today to clarify one of the things told to Game Informer in interviews for our Halo 5: Guardians cover story. 343 Industries claimed that players would not need an Xbox Live Gold membership to play online co-op with friends. It would only be required for competitive multiplayer. This is no longer the case. 343 executive producer and internal studio head Josh Holmes conveyed the following in a statement sent to Game Informer and on the official Halo Waypoint site.
We’re excited to see all the amazing fan responses to the Halo 5: Guardians Game Informer cover story. The team has been working extremely hard to get us to this point, and it’s been incredibly rewarding to see all the positivity out of the gate around our focus on co-op, the introduction of Blue Team, and, of course, the return of Nathan Fillion as Buck.
I need take a moment to make an important correction on something we miscommunicated in the story. I misspoke during the interview when stating that online co-op campaign would be supported with an Xbox Live Silver account. Co-op campaign will require Xbox Live Gold to play. I want to extend my sincere apologies to our fans, and to Game Informer, for this error and any confusion it has caused.
That said, it is important to us that fans have the opportunity to play the full co-op campaign experience and we are doing this by providing a 14-day Xbox Live Gold trial with Halo 5: Guardians.
Thank you all for your support. We can’t wait to show you all more of the game next week at E3.
Our take
It's disappointing to hear that Xbox Live Silver members won't be able to join in on online co-op, but we appreciate 343 Industries' swiftness in conveying this change in policy.
I’d like to ask you to support Game Informer’s continued coverage of games with a subscription. For less than two dollars per issue, we mail you a full year of 10 print magazines, each with cover stories and preview features filled with exclusive details about the most exciting upcoming games. We profile and interview game creators. We look back on the rich history of gaming, and we celebrate what’s next.
Here on the website, we offer much of our content for free, including game reviews, daily news, videos, event coverage, and more – all with minimal ads.
We do so with a small editorial team, alongside contributing paid writers from around the world – over 65 individuals from 9 countries around the world, just in the last couple of years.
It’s not possible without support.
In a time when game makers and games coverage have faced hard struggles and layoffs, the future of this 30+ year magazine and community is at risk. Our new standalone magazine subscription is the number one way you can keep us alive – and we believe you’ll get a pretty fantastic gaming magazine in your mailbox every few weeks for your trouble.
Thank you.
