Today marks the one year anniversary of the release of Halo 5: Guardians! We can’t believe how much the game has grown over the first year of play and it’s thanks to you, our fans. You are the reason we do what we do, you challenge and inspire us every day and we love you for it.

Since launch last year, we’ve delivered nine updates, expanding the content and experiences available to all players. We’ve released fifteen new multiplayer maps, six new game modes and many hundreds of new REQ items. We’ve lit up new features such as the completely overhauled Forge mode, which is now more powerful than ever. Since its release, we’ve featured more than sixty community-created maps in matchmaking, highlighting the talent and imagination of our many creators. We’ve also expanded our support for Halo 5: Guardians to include public APIs and Halo 5: Forge – bringing the powerful mapmaking tool to users for free on Windows 10 PC.

On the competitive side of things, Halo esports has been an area of focus since the beginning, and it’s been exciting to watch professional players from around the world compete in Halo 5. Working with our partners at ESL, PGL, MLG, and others, we’ve held over fifty Halo 5 tournaments including online events, with a combined prize pool of more than $3 million (plus a handful of X-Games medals thrown in for good measure).

And while we’ve been busily supporting and expanding Halo 5: Guardians over the past year, we’re not quite finished. We still have more goodness coming down the pipe, including the ability to browse and join live custom games on both Windows 10 PC and Xbox One, the introduction of more maps into the Warzone Firefight rotation, new Forge canvases, an improved spectator experience, and more. In addition to new experiences and features for both Halo 5 and Halo 5: Forge, we’re also working on matchmaking and server improvements. Look for more details on what's still to come in the not-so-distant future.

Finally, as a special gift to celebrate Halo 5: Guardian’s birthday, anyone who logs in today will receive the just-released Greatest Hits Customization REQ Pack for free.

Thank you for making Halo 5: Guardians awesome!

Josh