343i Shares New Update on Halo: The Master Chief Collection Enhancements

After a couple months of silence, 343 Industries shared a new update on the upcoming Halo: The Master Chief Collection enhancements. The first public flight build should be available in the next few weeks for testing while the first update available for the retail version of Halo: The Master Chief Collection should drop at some point this Summer, with the following content included.

"There’s currently no firm ETA to share publicly, but assuming flighting and dependencies go as planned – which is honestly a potentially risky assumption with a project of this complexity – we’re targeting release of the first patch sometime later this Summer. Ultimately, this project is driven by quality first and foremost, so the team will take as much time as needed to achieve their goals. We’ll continue to keep you updated on release timing targets as the team continues to make progress.

Here’s what’s being prioritized for the first retail update:

• Intelligent Install
• Xbox One X Visual Enhancements
• HDR/SDR Calibration Settings
• Networking and Matchmaking Improvements (Continuous Matchmaking, Network/Multiplayer API updates)
• P1 & P2 Bug Fixes
• LAN Support
• UI & UX Updates (Main Menu, Title Screen Video, Button States/Highlight States)

This means that other new features, like the highly anticipated Custom Game Browser, will not be included with the first patch. It is, however, high atop the list for the next round of work (and will no doubt surface in public flighting rings in the coming months). In addition, for areas like “UI & UX updates”, that work will continue and is expected to grow in scope over time."

Another possible enhancement that is currently being evaluated includes bringing Halo Custom Edition maps into Halo: The Master Chief Collection. Also, Halo 2 spawning has been restored to how it worked in the original game following the feedback of most players.

Stay tuned for more on the MCC revision project.