Although Microsoft is keeping specifics under wraps, the company now says the story events set into motion in Halo 5: Guardians will forever change the overall universe in "really important ways." After the events of Halo 5, the story "will never be the same," developers said as part of a new interview.

　　Speaking with Forbes, Halo franchise development director Frank O'Connor said, "There are some elements of the story that are definitely there to surprise people." Some of these surprises, he explained, are being teased out in the game's live-action TV trailers, in which Master Chief is "dead."

　　That's the "official" story. But really, after a mysterious event at the beginning of Halo 5, Master Chief goes AWOL from the UNSC. Joining him on his rogue mission are other members of Blue Team. Fireteam Osiris, meanwhile, led by Spartan Locke, are sent out to hunt Master Chief down. Creative director Tim Longo said the game will play out like an interplanetary manhunt.

　　As this Chief vs. Locke story plays out, there is also the matter of the Guardians, the mysterious Forerunner constructs referenced in past games and media but not explored too deeply. That's all set to change with Halo 5.

　　"There are catastrophic, big events going on all across the galaxy when it comes to the Guardians," Longo said, without giving anything away.

　　In addition, Halo 5 executive producer Josh Holmes teased that Halo will never be the same after the game's story comes to a close.

　　"One of the things that's most exciting about this story is through the course of your journey in Halo 5, you're going to see the Halo galaxy change in really important ways and it will never be the same," he said. "On a truly galactic scale, things are transformed through the course of the story."

　　If that all sounds like a lot to take in, O'Connor assures that Halo 5's story will be "self-contained" and easy to understand.

　　In other Halo 5 news, you can now listen to the game's title song and check out some newly re-designed Covenant vehicles. Microsoft has also confirmed that work has begun on Halo 6.

　　Halo 5 launches on October 27 exclusively for Xbox One.