Gamescom 2014: Microsoft goes big with Halo 5, the Halo Channel and more

The Halo Channel, Halo 5: Guardians multiplayer beta, and The Master Chief Collection were all given some more screen time in Microsoft’s press event at the show.

There was a lot for Halo fans to sink their teeth into at Microsoft’s Gamescom briefing. Outside of the games that are on the way, the most interesting thing shown was definitely the Halo Channel. This dedicated source for all things Halo sort of reminds me of Halo Waypoint, but much better fleshed out.

Showcasing the franchise from every available viewpoint, the Halo Channel will be the source for the Halo: Nightfall series, updates on games, community talk segments, interviews, and a comprehensive looks at the characters and environments of Halo. In a nutshell, it’s just about everything you could want to know and see in the universe of the premier franchise on Xbox.

Following that up, the hotly anticipated fifth (numbered) Halo title got it’s day in the sun. No more was shown about the still somewhat mysterious story or characters, but we did get a full description of the multiplayer beta that’s on the way for the very last bit of this year and first part of 2015.

Gamers can expect to be shooting each other’s armor full of holes starting this December the 29th on the Xbox One, in a beta that’ll close up shop on January 18th, which is pretty generous. The ticket for entry into the early look will be available in the box as a part of Halo: The Master Chief Collection.

And speaking of, coming along quite nicely is Halo: The Master Chief Collection. A remastered and graphically overhauled collection of all the Halo titles that’ve starred the man in the green armor, The Master Chief Collection is looking sharp, as we see here in this re-reveal of the classic multiplayer map from Halo 2, Sanctuary.

Have a look at a match played out in full on the map below.

Overall, it was a pretty good showing for Halo in general, even though there wasn’t a ton of Halo 5 discussed. The Halo Channel looks to be a solid upgrade to the Halo Waypoint app and seems to be something that fans would get a lot out of too. If you dig all things Halo, it’s definitely the place to be.

As for that aforementioned Halo 5, there’s still no firm release date, though my money would be on Holiday time next year. You won’t have to wait anywhere near that long to play The Master Chief Collection though, as that one’s on target for a November 11th arrival.