Is Halo too scared to face its Destiny?

We've all heard the leaks by now. If you haven't, you might want to read up on a few things. An insider believed to have ties with Microsoft revealed details for a bunch of eagerly anticipated games coming to the Xbox One, and even some unannounced ones, too. One of the tastiest tidbits was the news that Halo 5 had been pushed back until 2015, a big surprise. Or was it?

Halo is by far Microsoft's biggest system-seller. Last week's Gears of War news might have been important for the company, but in the long run that franchise pales in comparison to Master Chief's adventures. The Xbox One needs Halo more than the PlayStation 4 needs any of its exclusive titles.

It goes without saying that Microsoft wants to give Halo the biggest chance possible of succeeding, and in the process attracting more potential customers to the Xbox brand. And that biggest chance possible might not be this year. Afterall, there is a certain other sci-fi shooter coming out this September, and it's created by the guys who made Halo what it is today.

Destiny has been public knowledge for well over a year, and it was officially confirmed as a next-generation game last February. Bungie - the studio that created every Halo game up until Halo 4 - is in charge, and there are some pretty amazing things planned. A shooter with MMO elements, in a shared world and the encouragement to take on missions in teams, Destiny could be a game-changer.

Microsoft must know this. Why else would Halo 5 be pushed back to next year? A short trailer was shown as early as E3 2013, intended to build excitement for the Xbox One. And I'm sure many early adopters thought that they'd be getting to play a new Halo within a year.

However pitting Halo up against its old creators and the might of Activision's marketing would be foolish. Of course, they're obviously just rumours for now and we probably won't hear anything concrete for a good few months yet, but if they're true - and a lot of them sound legitimate - then it's a good move on Microsoft's part. But it could also be an acknowledgment that Microsoft really needs Halo 5 to be a runaway success so that Sony doesn't get too far ahead, even this early in the console's lifecycle.