Halo: The Campaign Evolved isn’t too far away now, and it marks Halo’s debut on the PlayStation console. PlayStation 5 next to each platform.
last night Halo Studios has published a detailed Q&A covering what fans can expect at Halo Waypoint at launch. I’ve already covered some of the bigger announcements elsewhere, but one detail has online fans, myself included, totally confused.
That detail is Halo: Campaign Evolved’s split-screen requirements on PlayStation 5, and no, Halo fans aren’t just upset because they’re Halo fans.
Split screen on Xbox works as you’d expect, although both players need a Microsoft account. You can enjoy a sofa co-op without the need Xbox Game Pass; however, on the PlayStation side of things, it’s a bit more complicated. According to Halo Studios, couch co-op, where two players play on one console in split-screen, requires both players to have a PSN account, both must be linked to a Microsoft account, and both must have an active PlayStation+ subscription.
So, to play offline with a friend on the same console, both players need to be actively subscribed to PlayStation Plus. It’s beyond stupid, right?
I’m sure most people would agree that it’s not an inappropriate thing to criticize, and I don’t think Halo fans have much to look forward to here. This is Halo’s debut on PlayStation, and requiring two active subscriptions just to enjoy local split-screen is in stark contrast to having couch co-op.
I fully understand that split-screen represents a minority of gamers these days, but that’s kind of beside the point. It’s not about how many people use this feature; this is the principle of locking local multiplayer behind two paid subscriptions.
To me, it just smacks of poor decision-making somewhere along the line, or perhaps a rushed decision. This may be related in some way Sonyinfrastructure or account requirements? Maybe. It is possible, especially if the game needs to be always online, but I find it very difficult.
Look, I’m excited Halo: The campaign has evolvedand I’ll be picking it up on both PC and Xbox. That doesn’t change the fact that this situation is a bummer for PlayStation players, and I hope that Halo Studios or whoever is responsible for it can fix this before it goes live.
However, let me know your thoughts in the comments and be sure to take our poll above!
Join us Reddit at r/WindowsCentral to share your thoughts and discuss our latest news, reviews and more.
