DLC passes can be "really dangerous" for multiplayer, according to Microsoft's Larry "Major Nelson" Hryb. He said in the latest Podcast Unlocked episode that selling DLC maps can split up the community and cause headaches for players.

　　DLC passes can be "really dangerous when it comes to multiplayer, because what happens is it fractures the community," he said. "'You have the maps, I don't have the maps, I didn't buy that map but you bought that map,' so when we all get together, 'Oh, you couldn't play the map.'"

　　Hryb praised the job 343 Industries is doing with Halo 5: Guardians. The studio is giving away DLC maps and more on a monthly basis and will continue to until summer 2016.

　　"So what 343 has done, which I think is rather brilliant, is that everybody gets the maps," Hryb explained. "But they're going to make things up with the [microtransaction] Req packs. That's how they're having some additional revenue, I assume, on the side. It's such a great way to execute it and keep the fans together."

　　Indeed, Halo 5's microtransactions have been popular. According to the latest numbers from Microsoft, the game's optional Req packs have generated more than $1.5 million.

　　Explaining the decision to give away Halo 5's DLC maps, 343 studio head Josh Holmes said the studio was hoping to avoid splitting the playerbase into "haves and have-notes."

　　"When you have paid map packs and content, you divide the player base into two groups: the haves and have-nots," Holmes said last summer. "The people that have the map pack can play together but the people who don't cannot. That to us is a real problem. So we're delivering all the maps to all players free so everybody will be able to play together. That, we feel, is really important to having a great multiplayer ecosystem."

　　Halo 5's latest expansion, Hammer Storm, arrived this week, introducing a new map (Torque), Grifball, and a ton of new Reqs. Additionally, 343 has announced that Firefight is returning in the future, alongside even more expansion packs.