Halo 5: Guardians is receiving a lot of buzz thanks to an extensive multi platform ad campaign. One of the many ways that 343 Industries is advertising the series’ latest installment is with a star studded podcast.
They’re using the podcast as a way to illustrate a narrative leading up the release of the game on October 27th this year. The latest episode asks more questions about if Master Chief is a traitor. The story we’ve seen so far is Master Chief and Spartan Locke clashing, both claiming the other is in the wrong. Xbox.com’s post on the podcast summarizes:
“The latest episode from the #HuntTheTruth podcast posed some serious questions for fans, as the Master Chief – beloved hero of the Halo universe – is accused of atrocities, calling his allegiance into question. Did he turn his back on those he swore to protect? What could have pushed him over the edge to turn his back on his lifelong duty? Where does Halo Nation go from here?”
You can listen to the podcast you via the embedded audio below:
The podcast includes a number of notable names, including Cobie Smulders of “Avengers: Age of Ultron,” Keegan-Michael Key of “Key and Peele,” Kumail Nanjiani of “Silicon Valley” and veteran actor Stacy Keach, and according to the same Xbox.com post their ad campaign has received quite a bit of traffic:
- Total listens have hit 2.15 million across iTunes and Soundcloud – and counting!
- The three separate announce trailers for “Halo 5: Guardians” have been viewed more than 217 million times total on television and online.
- More than 250,000 fans have visited websites for the “Halo 5: Guardians” ARG.
- To-date “Halo 5: Guardians” has been referenced nearly 960,000 times across social media since the start of the campaign.
It’ll be interesting to see what plays out in Halo 5: Guardians. It would be a major twist to have the protagonist of practically the entire series be the villain but it would also prevent the series from becoming stale.
