Uproar as Halo PS5 Demands 2 PS Plus Subscriptions for Local Co-Op - Push Square

It now turns out that neither PSN account playing Halo: Campaign Evolved in local two-player co-op will need a PS Plus membership. In a new post to social media, developer Halo Studios shared the update: "We incorrectly stated that PlayStation Plus is required for local co-op splitscreen play. Local splitscreen co-op requires a PlayStation account for each player but does not require a PlayStation Plus account." As such, both players wanting to play Halo: Campaign Evolved in split-screen will need a PSN account and a Microsoft account linked, but they won't each need to be paying for PS Plus. Original Story: If you are planning to play Halo: Campaign Evolved like the days of old in local split-screen co-op next month, make sure your mate brings their PS Plus membership with them. Despite being an offline mode, it's been revealed both players wanting to go through the campaign in local co-op need a PS Plus subscription. A new community Q&A post from the developer says "if you’re playing split-screen on PlayStation 5, both accounts will need to have PlayStation Plus". Oh, and the two of you will also need a Microsoft account each and have it linked to your PSN profile. This is a standard requirement for most PS5 games ported by Microsoft, but for a friend who just wants to casually play along with you, it's another barrier to entry. Once again, the Halo: Campaign Evolved package on PS5 is exactly that: just the campaign. There are no competitive multiplayer modes — the only online connectivity should come from the online co-op functionality. The demands are receiving heavy criticism because this is unusual: the vast majority of PS5 titles with local co-op don't come with these requirements. There's a note in the post that states "having these active PlayStation Plus subscriptions will also provide access to online co-op play", but these are two different modes within the game and shouldn't be so heavily linked together. Or, at least not to the point where an offline player would need two PS Plus subscriptions just to play offline co-op. It's not clear whether this was Microsoft's decision or down to Sony's own infrastructure. Nevertheless, fans have taken to social media to voice their displeasure with the demands, some cancelling their PS5 pre-orders. In a Reddit post on the same subject, fans are also discussing who's at fault. "Local splitscreen shouldn't require any of the players to have an online f*cking subscription," said TheAzureAzazel. Another response from Life-Relation-1653 theorises that Sony is the problem here: "Wow. That's pretty gross honestly. I'm guessing this is a PlayStation decision, though and not Halo Studios." "A subscription needed to play co-op hits my brain in a similar way that quote from that Ubisoft or EA executive does. The one where they toss around the idea of making people pay for bullets in their magazine or something like that," added thatoneguy2252. "A gross paywall is the point I’m clumsily driving at here." Halo: Campaign Evolved launches for PS5 on 28th July 2026, but what do you make of these PS Plus requirements? Do you think they're unfair or not? Share your thoughts in the comments below.