Halo 5 Story Details Aren't True, Microsoft Says

This week, supposed details about the upcoming Halo Xbox One game were released through the Microsoft Store. Don't spend too much time analyzing this synopsis, though, because Microsoft says it isn't accurate.

"Halo for Xbox One takes the now-legendary saga to new heights and is one of the most anticipated games for the new console," read the story synopsis spotted by NeoGAF users. "In possession of a mysterious data chip, Petty Officer John-117, aka Master Chief, confronts a new battery of challenges and tests in a Herculean effort to stay alive in a galaxy where sentient life is mercilessly hunted. Pre-order the next chapter in the wildly popular Halo series designed exclusively for Xbox One."

Many interpreted this summary to mean that the Flood would play a prominent role in the game. The Flood, prominently featured in the original Halo trilogy, is a species of parasites that consume sentient life.

Shortly after the details began making the rounds on the Internet, Destructoid got in touch with Microsoft. The company said that the story summary was "completely inaccurate and not provided by 343 or Microsoft." I'd love to know where the details came from if not those two companies but I guess that's not the important part. The important thing is that this description of the game is bogus. It's no longer included on the Microsoft Store entry.

Microsoft announced the next Halo during their E3 press conference in June. The CGI trailer showed Master Chief walking through a desert. He was wearing a data chip on a chain, perhaps containing Cortana. The video ended with an enormous robot with orange lights attacking him. 343 Industries general manager Bonnie Ross said that the game would utilize the Xbox One's cloud computing feature and run at 60 frames per second.

We've been calling the game Halo 5 but the exact title hasn't been announced yet. The apparent Promethean in the trailer suggests this game is set after the events of Halo 4. Microsoft said that H4 was the start of a new Reclaimer trilogy. The company later said that the story arc might play out over more than three games.

"While we originally said trilogy, we've actually expanded this to more of a saga, so we don't want to limit the Reclaimer story within a trilogy," Microsoft's Phil Spencer said in June.

If this Reclaimer storyline is a big part of the franchise's history, it seems likely this new Halo will continue it. We'll have to wait a bit longer to find out Microsoft's exact plans, though.