Before 343 Industries' (now Halo Studios) Halo Infinite — a live-service, free-to-play take on the flagship Xbox franchise — released on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and Windows PC in 2021, there was Halo 5: Guardians for the Xbox One in 2015. In time, the game grew to become one of the most content-rich shooter titles on offer for Xbox players, though it was also infamously controversial for a number of reasons.
Indeed, while Halo 5 had an extremely robust Forge mode, a creative PvPvE mode Warzone, and plenty of multiplayer content eventually, its offerings at launch were disappointing, many disliked the gameplay for feeling derivative of competing experiences, and the continued use of Halo 4's contentious art direction changes was frowned upon by lots of series veterans. What was arguably Halo 5's biggest controversy, however, was the jarring disconnect between marketing for its story and the actual contents of its campaign.
