Halo 5: "Vast majority" of Xbox Live players don't use splitscreen, says Spencer

Halo 5 is shipping without local splitscreen, but Xbox boss Phil Spencer says most users won't care.

Halo 5: Guardians is the first in the series not to allow splitscreen couch multiplayer.

This has caused a bit of a ruckus among fans nostalgic for the early magic of the game which helped establish console shooters in the first place. According to Spencer, these vocal fans are in the minority.

"We see the robustness of what Xbox Live is today and where people are playing across Xbox Live - you at your house, me at our house. We know that's the vast majority of the co-op play," he told Gamespot.

The executive said 343 Industries made the decision to drop splitscreen in order to hit a higher bar with other aspects of the game.

"With Halo 5, the team really wanted to focus on making that experience great, both visually on the screen that you're looking at, and all the systems in place," he said.

Spencer went on to say that it's much easier to get an Xbox Live session going than to get your buddies in one place, which is certainly true for many of us.

Halo 5 arrives exclusively on Xbox One on October 27.