‘Halo 5’ Controversy Erupts Over Aim Down Sights But It Was Much Ado But Nothing?


A small Halo 5: Guardians multiplayer leak hit Sunday morning that caused a major eruption in the Halo community over the future direction of the Xbox One shooter. The initial reaction in forums like NeoGAF can only be described as vitriolic, and forced some members of 343 Industries to respond while later leaks revealed that the reactions may be overblown.

The controversy kicked off with a post on the NeoGAF forums with a brief off-screen clip of Halo 5 multiplayer in action. It showed a player sprinting with a rifle, then aiming down the sights (ADS) before jumping down and whipping out an energy sword.

Unfortunately, the leaked video cannot be embedded. However, here is the link and a screen capture below.

Halo 5 ADS Leak (Xbox One)

343 Industries representative have repeatedly stated that Halo 5 multiplayer will be a return to the arena-based competition that made early Halo titles popular competitive games. The return of sprint was expected following the CGI reveal trailer showing sprint. However, the seeming appearance of ADS was new, and a major source of controversy since it would represent a significant mechanic change.

The reaction on NeoGAF to what appeared to be ADS was ugly on NeoGAF. The Halo sub-Reddit response was much more measured in comparison. Meanwhile, Twitter was not much better than NeoGAF.

343 Industries Bonnie Ross eventually responded on Twitter with what can only be described as bemusement.

Indeed, more definitely is to be seen before a judgment can be made. Three other videos subsequently leaked out showing that what appeared to be ADS were not so.

  • Video 1
  • Video 2
  • Video 3

These videos clearly show that there is no ADS on the Assault Rifle, SMG, or Pistol. So, what looked like ADS in the first video is likely a significantly redesigned zoom for the Battle Rifle or DMR. Halo 5 multiplayer is supposed to be revealed the tomorrow evening, Monday, November 10, as part of HaloFest. The livestream starts at 11 p.m. ET / 8 p.m. PT on the Halo Twitch channel. We’ll need to see how 343 Industries describes the new look for at least one of the weapons. Until then, take these works from Halo 5 Studio Head, Josh Holmes.

What do you think of these Halo 5 multiplayer leaks? Sound off in the comments below.

[Images via Halo Waypoint]

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