343 Industries has seemingly stopped development on new updates for Halo: The Master Chief Collection, its troubled library of every Halo game up to Halo 4.
Released in 2014, the MCC launched in a rough state with numerous bugs, multiplayer connection issues and other problems. However, the title was eventually revisited in 2018 ahead of plans to port the collection to PC.
In the years since, the MCC has added new full games, reworked multiplayer, a server browser, never before seen cosmetics, improvements to old games and even mod tools for PC players.
However, it seems the days of new Halo: The Master Chief Collection updates are over as 343 developers have revealed a gift from management with an official end date for the project. With the last update seen way back in July, this seems to be confirmation of the game’s end.
Devs who worked on the project have been gifted a plaque that reads: “Finished the fight, Halo: The Master Chief Collection, 11/2014 - 07/2023". An additional card holds another message, reading:
“Your dedication, teamwork, and commitment to excellence have not gone unnoticed. Together, we have achieved a significant milestone, and it's all thanks to your hard work and determination."
While the tweet does look rather professional, some aspects do lead to suspicion, namely the seemingly AI-generated picture of Master Chief on the gift’s card instead of official art.
Halo: The Master Chief Collection does still have some issues that fans have wanted to be stressed, such as graphical bugs that weren’t present in the original games. In the past, fans have also campaigned for a higher resolution texture option for Halo 4, but requests like these will seemingly never come.
Despite small outstanding issues, Halo: The Master Chief Collection is one of the most improved games of all time, and it should be celebrated for rising from the ashes and creating a quality experience. As someone who purchased an Xbox One just for the MCC, it has grown considerably, and 343 Industries have done a great job at making it a collection worth owning.
With Halo Infinite Season 5 now out, 343 Industries is performing the same revitalisation on its newest game. With campaign AI in Forge, brilliant custom games and some of the most satisfying multiplayer gameplay around, Halo Infinite may be seen in the same light as the MCC.
Halo: The Master Chief Collection is available now on Xbox and PC as well as via Xbox Game Pass. Halo Infinite is available as a free-to-play multiplayer title, but its campaign can be purchased or played with Xbox Game Pass on the same platforms.