Phil Spencer on Halo 5’s lack of split-screen multiplayer

Phil Spencer, the head of Xbox, has shed some light on why the upcoming Halo 5: Guardians has abandoned split-screen multiplayer.

“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,” Spencer recently told GameSpot. “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.”

“I love the nostalgia of the couch co-op of what Halo did in the past,” he goes on, “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.”

Spencer also claims to have “loved” Halo’s split-screen multiplayer, saying “it was kind of how multiplayer in Halo was born.”

According to a post by developer 343’s Josh Holmes back in July, the decision to drop split-screen “was one of the most difficult ones we’ve ever had to make as a studio.”

Halo 5: Guardians is coming exclusively to Xbox One on October 27th. Make sure to check out our preview for more impressions.

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