Halo 5: Guardians may still be more than four months away, but Microsoft has already kicked its marketing into high gear. The company has announced a partnership with Ford and Galpin Auto Sports to bring a custom-built Ford F-150 to E3, outfitted with all the bells and whistles a Spartan could ever need.
The Ford F-150 Halo Sandcat, based on the latest design for the standard F-150, includes an Addictive Desert Designs Baja XTR off-road conversion kit, custom shocks, side steps, off-road tires, and several other modifications added by Galpin Auto Sports to “give it a United Nations Space Command militaristic style that Halo fans will instantly recognize,” according to Ford’s release. A full body wrap also covers the vehicle, giving it the classic Halo olive drab color. It’s so close to a UNSC vehicle, in fact, that it was even given an official codename: P552.
Inside the vehicle, there’s an Xbox One strapped at a “don’t you dare try to install discs in this” 45-degree angle, complete with two controllers, and both front seats are fitted with displays. Users would still need to get a WiFi connection to play Halo 5: Guardians’ cooperative campaign with their friends, however: It’s the first game in the series to ditch the split-screen option for this mode.
The Ford F-150 Halo Sandcat will be available to see at E3 at “the South Hall entrance of the Los Angeles Convention Center,” and Ford says that it will also be shown off at several more events before the October 27 launch of Halo 5: Guardians. There’s no word yet on whether the vehicle will be given away after the game’s release, but it seems needlessly cruel to show it off so much if the company isn’t planning on letting some lucky stiff drive it off.
