Halo 5 Multiplayer Beta Is 720p

Next month's Halo 5: Guardians beta will run in 720p at 60fps, developer 343 Industries has confirmed. In an interview with Eurogamer, studio head Josh Holmes explained why the beta will run at the sub-1080p resolution, and assured fans that the final version of the game will "look amazing."

"For the beta, at this point we're totally focused on gameplay," he said. "We're midway through development. We're balancing and tuning the gameplay systems. All of the polish and optimization graphically is stuff that typically comes towards the end of the production cycle."

"You can expect it will look amazing when it comes out" -- Josh Holmes on Halo 5's final resolution

"So, for the beta, we're going to be coming out at 720p and 60fps," he added. "That's not the final resolution for the game. You can imagine as we go through the remainder of the project we'll be focused on polishing the visual look of the game. You can expect it will look amazing when it comes out."

The Halo 5 multiplayer beta kicks off December 29 and runs through the middle of January 2015. Everyone who buys The Master Chief Collection is guaranteed a spot in the beta, though it's unclear if there will be other ways to get in.

343 Industries took the lid off Halo 5 last night during the HaloFest livestream. The developer showed off brand-new gameplay, highlighting the new player abilities in the game that could shake up the series in a big way. Check out the clip above to see Halo 5 multiplayer in action.

Halo 5 will launch in fall 2015. 343 Industries previously confirmed that it will run at 60fps.