Halo fans on Xbox eager to begin Halo: Campaign Evolved's early access period are encountering significant disappointment, as an issue is currently preventing access for those who purchased the premium edition or upgrade.
Players on Xbox consoles and the Xbox PC app who opted for the $70 premium edition or the $20 premium edition upgrade, which offers five days of early access, are reportedly being met with a "You're too early" message. This issue affects those who paid extra to play before the official July 28 launch for standard edition owners.
Halo Studios is aware of the problem. An official statement from the Halo Support account on social media indicated that the company is "investigating reports that some players on Xbox consoles and the Xbox app for PC who purchased the HaloCE Premium Edition or Premium Edition Upgrade are unable to access the game." Updates are promised as more information becomes available.
Initial player reports suggest the problem may not be isolated to a few individuals, with many indicating that it appears to affect all premium version purchasers on the Xbox platform. This launch hiccup follows previous player feedback regarding gameplay changes, such as the addition of sprint, and a requirement for PlayStation 5 users to have both PlayStation and Microsoft accounts for local co-op.
Despite these early access troubles and prior criticisms, Halo: Campaign Evolved has received generally positive reviews. GameSpot's review awarded the game an 8/10, calling it "the best way to play through Master Chief's first game" and commending its new prequel missions. The title currently holds an 81 on Metacritic.