Halo 5’s Commercial Premier Just Underwhelmed a Massive Sunday NFL Audience

Two days ago Microsoft teased that it would be premiering a Halo 5: Guardians TV ad during Sunday Night Football. It was enough to get some Halo fans to tune in to the Broncos vs Lions game, bearing eyes focused on the beginning of what is sure to be a massive marketing campaign.

Seen above, the Halo 5: Guardians commercial ran for a full minute during the first half of the game. On one hand that means it received a fair amount of face time with those watching. On the other hand it means that Microsoft invested a lot of money on what many on social media and gaming forums are calling an underwhelming premier.

 

When compared to pre-release commercials previously employed by Microsoft for the Halo franchise, this latest work titled "A Hero Falls", alluding to the demise of Master Chief, doesn't leave a strong impression. Take for example the Halo 3 "Believe" Commercial, or the popular "We Are ODST" Commercial. It would have been nice for there to have been a presence of action, more focus on beloved characters, or at least emotion expressed other than pure sadness.

Halo 5: Guardians is marching toward its release date of October 27th where a lot is at stake. 343 Industries' last two releases (Halo 4 and Halo: The Master Chief Collection) were received well, but were considered to be below the remarkably high standards previously set by the franchise. Gamers are wondering if the studio has what it takes to make the series an industry-leader once again. Soon, they will find out.