Halo 5 Beta Will Allow 343 to Make Meaningful Changes

The upcoming beta for Halo 5: Guardians isn't just a marketing ploy or a mere server test, it's an opportunity for developer 343 Industries to gather feedback and implement major changes if need be. That's according to 343 executive producer Dan Ayoub, who explained in a new interview why the studio is launching the beta almost a year ahead of the full game's release.

"We're going to get a lot of player data coming off of this, we're going to hear what people like and don't like, and we're going to have a year to respond to that" -- Dan Ayoub

"A lot of the time you'll see betas a couple of months before launch and generally those are more to test servers, make sure the back end's going to hold up," he told CVG. "Doing something a year in advance gives us the opportunity to be a lot more reactive. If we put this thing out two months before launch, we aren't going to be able to change or tweak anything. We're going to get a lot of player data coming off of this, we're going to hear what people like and don't like, and we're going to have a year to respond to that."

Ayoub's comments follow those from Halo franchise director Frank O'Connor, who previously said the Halo 5 beta would be a "real" beta.

The Halo 5 beta kicks off in late December for those who bought the Halo: The Master Chief Collection. There may be other ways to get in, but 343 hasn't announced those yet. The beta will give gamers a first feel for the many significant changes 343 has made to the Halo formula in Halo 5, including a range of new player abilities such as ground pound and thrusters.

We recently got to play Halo 5, and you can hear our reactions and see some footage in the video embedded above. For more on Halo 5, which launches in fall 2015 for Xbox One, check out GameSpot's previous coverage.