Halo 5: Live is a six hour broadcast celebrating the launch of the Xbox One shooter

Halo 5: Live, a six hour live broadcast on YouTube, will take place in the final hours up to the midnight launch of the game in North America, Microsoft has announced.

The broadcast promises exclusive gameplay reveals, celebrity appearances, live interviews with the 343 Industries development team and more.

The stream begins at 6pm PDT, which is the rather unsociable time of 2am here in the UK.

“Halo 5: Guardians is the game we have always dreamed of making, and it was important to us that Halo fans in every corner of the world could join us in an epic-scale launch celebration,” said Bonnie Ross, corporate vice president and head of 343 Industries. “Whether they tune into the live broadcast on YouTube or come out and celebrate with us in person at one of our global fan events, we hope Halo Nation will help make Halo 5: Guardians the biggest game launch in Xbox history.”

The launch night will feature:

• The world premiere of “Halo: The Fall of Reach” episode one, the new animated series that tells the dramatic tale of the origin and intrigue behind the SPARTAN program that propelled characters like the Master Chief and Dr. Catherine Halsey into the pantheon of Halo lore.
• The first Xbox roundtable featuring the writers behind “Halo 5: Guardians” and Nathan Fillion, the voice of Spartan Buck.
• Special documentaries will get up close and personal with Halo superfans around the world, showcasing what makes Halo Nation unlike any other community in gaming.
• A lucky fan in Australia will play “Halo 5: Guardians” from a helicopter flying over Sydney, as gameplay is broadcasted via a screen suspended from a second helicopter.
• In London, iconic entertainment venue The Roundhouse will transform into a “Halo 5: Guardians” celebration, with a friendly tournament between four teams of YouTube creators and fans. U.K. fans can win a chance to attend the London event by visiting http://bit.ly/1REsmt6.
• In celebration of a Halo superfan from Japan who has played over 10,000 hours of Halo, Master Chief and Agent Locke action figurines will travel to the edge of space for the most epic Gamertag selfie.
• A Taiwanese cosplayer will bring his passion for the Master Chief to life when he collaborates with one of the hottest jewelry designers in Australia to recreate the Master Chief’s helmet with more than 30,000 Swarovski crystals. The one-of-a-kind helmet will be unveiled during the show and kick-start a chance for gamers around the world to bid on it for charity.
• In New Zealand, Halo fans will converge at the close of the Armageddon Expo for multiplayer sessions, cosplay displays and more.
• In Hong Kong, a real-life course inspired by the new “Halo 5: Guardians” competitive Arena multiplayer mode, “Breakout,” will be constructed, putting Halo fans into real 4v4 combat.
• In New York City, a special fan destination will take place at the brand new flagship store Microsoft at Fifth Ave. and 53rd St., located in the heart of Manhattan and culminating in the midnight launch of “Halo 5: Guardians.”

“Millions of our fans around the world are waiting in anticipation of the launch of Halo 5: Guardians, so we wanted to do something special for them and launch a video game in a way that has never been done before,” said Aaron Greenberg, head of games marketing for Xbox. “We are excited to stream the Halo 5: Guardians launch exclusively through YouTube so fans can share in a New Year’s Eve-like countdown moment together.”

Source: Xbox