Halo 5 Won't Have Big Team Battle Mode at Launch

Halo 5: Guardians will not have a Big Team Battle (BTB) mode at launch in October. But that doesn't mean Halo fans won't be able to get their large-scale multiplayer fix right out of the gate.

Responding to a fan's concerns about Halo 5 not having a BTB mode, 343 Industries executive producer Josh Holmes reminded fans about the game's Warzone gametype. This 12v12 mode, announced at E3, features the biggest maps in Halo franchise history. In fact, the maps are four times the size of any previous map.

"Warzone is the evolution of BTB, on steroids," Holmes said.

If Warzone doesn't suit your fancy--after all, it does change things up in a number of significant ways--Holmes also said that 343 Industries plans to add a "more traditional BTB mode post-launch."

He did not provide a timetable for when the BTB mode would be released. It's also worth noting that 343 has not yet announced the lineup of playlists for Halo 5.

In other recent Halo 5 news, 343 has responded to criticisms about the game not having a split-screen mode for its campaign or multiplayer. "If we could do it, we would do it. But it is what they call 'nontrivial,'" Halo franchise development director Frank O'Connor said.

Halo 5 will launch with 20+ maps, with 15+ more maps coming to the game as free DLC before June 2016.

The Halo 5 release date is set for October 27 exclusively for Xbox One.