It has been over 24 hours since the announcement of Halo 5: Guardians, a new Halo game from 343 Industries releasing in 2015. With yesterday’s new information about the game, I thought it’d be cool to compile a list of “What We Know So Far” for Halo 5: Guardians.

The Continuation of Master Chief’s Storyline

Halo 4 has come and gone and we all have our opinions on it, but either way, that was the most recent chapter in the Master Chief storyline. With Halo: Spartan Assault releasing last year and Halo 2: Anniversary rumored to be 2014’s Halo title, Halo 5: Guardians will be the next game to continue the storyline of Master Chief.

While we simply don’t have any idea of where the story will be going, we can only assume that Master Chief has gone rogue, and is being hunted by a fellow Spartan.

The Spartan is a New Character

On the current cover of Halo 5: Guardians, we get a glimpse at a brand new Spartan. While many have speculated that this new character is female, that is simply not the case.

Josh Holmes, Executive Producer at 343 Industries took to Twitter to confirm that the Spartan seen on the cover of Halo 5: Guardians is a NEW character, and not the previously speculated Sarah Palmer. Palmer was introduced in Halo 4’s Campaign and made infamously popular in Spartan Ops Season 1.

While most of us probably haven’t ever seen a male with those hips, let alone a Spartan, it is indeed not female.

The Spartan is with the Office of Naval Intelligence

In the cover art for Halo 5: Guardians, zooming in on the new Spartan’s armor will reveal an Office of Naval Intelligence (ONI) logo.

The Office of Naval Intelligence are known for being sneaky and unlawful people within the Halo Universe. For those who are familiar with Doctor Halsey, they are the ones keeping her prisoner during Halo 4’s events and eventually give the orders for her to be assassinated during the events of Spartan Ops.

While we don’t know ONI’s motives, or why they have a Spartan marked with an ONI logo, it is safe to say it can’t be good news.

Halo 5: Guardians is being built on a new engine

Every Halo game to date (minus Halo Wars and Halo: Spartan Assault) has built upon the engine of the prior Halo game with heavy modifications to ensure the game feels fresh and new. However, Franchise Development Director – Frank O’ Connor has confirmed that Halo 5: Guardians is being built on a new engine, with numerous pieces of code from the previous engine being included.

“But we’re not just making a new game in that three year span, we’re also making a new engine.”

While we have yet to see any in-game footage or screenshots from Halo 5: Guardians yet, expect it to look absolutely amazing.

60 Frames Per Seconds and Dedicated Servers

On the topic of a new engine, last year at E3 when Bonnie Ross – Studio Head at 343 Industries took to the stage after the Halo Xbox One CG trailer. After the announcement, she confirmed that Halo Xbox One will not only have 60 Frames Per Second, but feature dedicated servers.

Frank O’ Connor also said this in his recent blog post on Halo Waypoint.

“Bonnie also called out 60fps and dedicated servers last year – attractive, desirable, and possibly expected upgrades to the Halo experience. After all, we won’t be the first 60fps shooter out there. That said, these must-haves are not necessarily easy to achieve.”

The teaser shown at E3 2013 was clearly for Halo 5: Guardians but was also talking about the Halo game coming in 2014. Whether that be Halo 2: Anniversary or something else – expect it utilize dedicated servers and run at 60 FPS.

The Box Art is NOT Final

Yesterday’s news revealed the box art for Halo 5: Guardians. While it is indeed interesting, Frank O’ Connor confirmed on NeoGAF that the box art shown is not final, and is subject to change before the games launch in 2015.

“That’s vis id, not boxart. Boxart will look different one way or another. It might use that thematic, it might not.”

For those upset with how the box art looks and how it doesn’t make Master Chief look like the star, don’t worry, it will change eventually.

The Battle Rifle & Assault Rifle are shown

While it may be pretty obvious, some of you may have missed it. The box art for Halo 5: Guardians shows the Master Chief holding an Assault Rifle and the new mystery Spartan holding a Battle Rifle.

With both weapons being fan-favorites throughout the franchise, it’s great to see both making returns in Halo 5: Guardians.

So that’s the story so far. With Halo 5: Guardians releasing in 2015, it will be awhile before we get any more new information about the game.

What are your thoughts on this? Think we missed anything? Excited for Halo 5: Guardians? Let us know on our forums!