Halo remake on PS5 requires two PS Plus subs for split-screen couch co-op

Microsoft, Sony, and/or Halo Studios have kicked off another controversy during a time when absolutely none of them need it.

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Unfortunately, it's now been revealed that Halo's 25th anniversary will be marred by what feels like an unnecessary hurdle for gamers. Halo is coming to PlayStation for the first time ever with the new Halo Campaign Evolved remake, but instead of just having a normal release that boosts sales, the game requires some extra steps in order to play with friends on PlayStation.

Users have to create a Microsoft account to play Halo Campaign Evolved on any platform, including PlayStation. That was kind of to be expected at this point. The big surprise is that split-screen couch co-op requires both users to have an active PlayStation Plus subscription in order to play. This is highly abnormal in the games industry, as split-screen co-op is almost never monetized via these kinds of paygate access subscriptions. PS Plus is expected as a requirement for online co-op, but not local play.

For comparison's sake, the original Halo Combat Evolved from 2001 did not even have online functionality, so there were no subscriptions required to play any part of the game. It shipped as a feature-complete game, as most titles did back then, and the absence of online support meant no patches or online paygates (Halo 2 was the first game in the series to have paid Xbox LIVE multiplayer).

Halo Studios explains:

• XBOX Series X|S: If you're playing split-screen on an XBOX console, the second player will also need a unique Microsoft account. If you want to play online co-op, you will need an active XBOX Game Pass subscription.
• PlayStation 5®:If you're playing split-screen on PlayStation 5®, both accounts will need to have PlayStation Plus and be linked to a Microsoft account. Having these active PlayStation Plus subscriptions will also provide access to online co-op play.
• Steam:If you're playing via Steam, you will need to link to a Microsoft account.

The move has proven to be highly disappointing to Halo fans and PlayStation players, and seems like another example of a surprise controversy from Xbox that could probably have been mitigated some with proper pre-release clarifications.

An important thing to remember is that this is likely a business decision made at the behest of both Sony and Microsoft, and the specifics remain unclear on how these policies are designed. Halo is an Xbox game through-and-through, defining the Xbox platform for, well, 25 years. It's possible that in order to bring such a game to PlayStation that Xbox had to sign specific deals requiring these kinds of restrictions, however nothing has been confirmed or revealed, and both parties are very unlikely to discuss the deal itself.

Another point: The abolishment of paid online multiplayer is one of the top requests that Xbox fans have made of Microsoft. Even if Xbox were to nix its paid online requirement, its games hosted on rival platforms would likely still require them, including PlayStation Plus and Switch Online.