In an effort to make good on the troubled launch of the Xbox One’s Halo: The Master Chief Collection, Microsoft announced today that they’re giving anyone who played the game some free stuff, including a copy of an upcoming remastered version of Halo 3: ODST.
In a letter posted to the Xbox website, 343 Industries head Bonnie Ross thanked players for sticking with them as they work out the server and matchmaking problems that have plagued The Master Chief Collection since its launch last month.
Here’s Ross’ full letter:
Last month, I promised the Halo and Xbox community that addressing the matchmaking issues and other bugs impacting players’ experience with Halo: The Master Chief Collection was our #1 priority. We’ve been working around the clock deploying weekly content updates and numerous server-side adjustments that have shown good results and we’re encouraged by the feedback we’re hearing from you. Another big hurdle was overcome when we added fan-favourite playlists, such as SWAT and Halo: CE, back to our matchmaking menu and we plan to add more soon. Next week, we’ll release a content update that will add all 10 episodes of the cooperative experience “Spartan Ops” for Halo 4, and will address other issues. I assure you that the team will continue to work on additional content updates to further improve the all-up gameplay experience.
This has been a humbling experience and highlighted how we as a studio can — and need — to do better for Xbox fans around the world. We are so grateful to our fans who have stood by our side and we appreciate all of your patience as we worked through these issues. As a token of our appreciation and to thank fans for the continued support and understanding, we will be offering the following items, for free, to anyone who has played Halo: The Master Chief Collection online since launch (11.11.14) through today (12.19.14).*
- 1 Month of Xbox Live Gold
- Exclusive In-Game Nameplate
- Exclusive In-Game Avatar
* For specifics on eligibility and further details on the offer, visit the FAQ at:
https://www.halowaypoint.com/en-us/communit…Additionally, you’ve told us that you want more Halo 2: Anniversary multiplayer map content and Halo 3: ODST on Xbox One. As a future bonus, we’re going to make these happen and give them to you for free. We are just now starting work with our partners to bring both to Halo: The Master Chief Collection and will share more specific details on timing in the coming months. But for now, here’s what you can expect:
- Halo 3: ODST Campaign — Development has just started on the campaign for Halo 3: ODST, which will be available within Halo: The Master Chief Collection, and upgraded to 1080p resolution, running at 60fps. It will be available for free to anyone who has played Halo: The Master Chief Collection since launch (11.11.14) through today (12.19.14).* Thanks to our friends at Bungie for creating the original “Halo 3: ODST” campaign.
- “Relic” Halo 2: Anniversary Multiplayer Map — Available via a free content update to Halo: The Master Chief Collection, we will reimagine the fan-favourite map “Relic,” fully remastered and running at 1080p resolution and 60fps. We chose this map based on its suitability for Slayer and Objective modes and its ability to support teams of varying sizes. And you can trust that Certain Affinity will tune and tweak the map to make it even better than you remember.
The satisfaction and joy of our fans is absolutely critical to everyone at 343 Industries and we regret the issues and the frustration you have endured. We are truly sorry and thank you for your continued patience and support of the Halo franchise.
Sincerely,Bonnie Ross
Head of 343 Industries
Comments
30 responses to “Microsoft Sorry For Broken Halo Games, Giving Away Free Stuff”
Free ODST remastered? ALL IS FORGIVEN MICROSFT 🙂
I kind of hope it’s fully remastered, instead of just brought up to 1080/60.
ODST is my favorite campaign, and has a great atmosphere… but those brute models, and the characters faces, have not held up well at all.
ODST was my second favourite Halo game, looking forward to playing through it again.
But no word yet on HALO : REACH? One of the best Halo games, if not THE best Halo game, made????
343i sided with the MLG crybabies over their verdict of Reach so we’ll never see that game again.
I’m gonna go sit in the corner and cry right now… Reach was bloody brilliant in all aspects. Loved it so much. To be honest, Halo 4 felt like a step back from Reach to me.
Yeah, it is. But 343i are nothing but tools so when some very very vocal minority on the forums did nothing but bitch about how Reach wasn’t Halo 2 they went and made a TU specifically for that group to… ignore and not play the game anyways. Well what about all the people wanting a real TU to fix all the real problems? Like nerfing the Banshee, nerfing the Scorpion, fixing the Juggernaut playlist? Nope, they had to force Reach into the most barebones Halo game created,
That really, really fucking blows. Reach upped Halo in every aspect, it made it more ‘mature’, from the graphics, the tone, the dialogue, everything. I still hold that game in high esteem today, it was perfectly paced and as Bungies coda to the Halo series, it was perfect. 🙁
weresmurf nailed it, Halo Reach is the best halo campaign quite easily.
First of all there is no flood whatsoever, that alone is evidence enough.
Second of all, the majority of all the combat encounters in Halo Reach was tuned and balanced to perfection. Something that no other Halo game has come close to.
That was my original opinion, and now that I’ve played all four campaigns in the Master Chief collection, it just reaffirms my opinion.
Halo 4 is the worst campaign by far. 343 have got no Idea on how to create that ’30 seconds of fun’. 343’s only original creation was their new aliens and alien weapons, which was super boring.
Halo 1 was revolutionary.
Halo 2 was an unbalanced, player overpowered mess, still with reasonably enjoyable combat, but it goes for way too fucking long. I did my own balancing in Halo 2, and refuse to use duel weapons.
Halo three was a big improvement.
ODST is missing all the combat enjoyment of progressive combat encounters. So I don’t know why ODST gets a remaster, but the far superior Reach does not.
I disagree. The weapons and enemies are more interesting in Halo 4, and the story is better, plus the characters actually talk. Halo 4 was a major jump in quality.
For Halo’s 5’s story to be anything but a disjointed, half explained mess, you need to read the books.
I read the books… it was still a disjointed mess.
Because ODST has the best story of all halos.
Reach is the worst of all halos, even with the fact it has no flood.
I’m going to wait until they release MMC with ODST included. Naturally, it’ll be broken and unplayable, and to apologise they’ll throw in Reach.
No PC port = no sale.
Halo 3 and 4 are long overdue for a PC release while 1 and 2 are already on there and you already have all 4 running on the same architecture so NO EXCUSES.
PC port of DLC for a game thats not on PC
Something tells me that ain’t happening
Spoil yourself this xmas and just buy yourself an Xbox1 🙂
Why would I want to drop $100 more than a PS4 on an Xbone when I can afford neither after buying a decent PC?
LOL
any chance of HALO WARS for xbox 360? my fav halo game
cool hopefully odst is reasonably priced for those of us who are getting mcc for christmas
With all this additional patch work for the MCC, I wonder how much time has been taken away from development of Halo 5? It must’ve eaten a chunk out of lead time which surely means they can’t hit Halo 5’s slated release date. Yes, they could hire more grunts (pardon the pun) but either way it’d be all-hands-on-deck between now and Q3/Q4 2015.
Bah, been waiting over 3 weeks for my copy. Due to slow shipping, I miss out on free content. -sigh-
Only for people who played on line? I haven’t even bothered trying online because I know it’s broken so I miss out?
EDIT: trying to go online now to try and qualify but it’s been searching match making for 22 minutes and counting.
I believe they mean that you need to have been connected to Xbox Live at least once while playing MCC, and not necessarily have played a online match/campaign. According to this FAQ, “all Gamertags that have logged activity in the game via Xbox Live during this period will be eligible”.
Oh thanks that sounds more reasonable.
Here was me thinking that the MCC was meant to be everything Halo prior to number 5, I guess it wasn’t. Surely Microsoft could’ve waited and/or put more effort in and gotten a full collection. Because to me, it feels like the MCC was a quick cash grab before Christmas to make up for bad performance this year.
Its everything Master Cheif related, hence the name “Master Chief Collection”. ODST and Reach you weren’t playing as the Chief.
Well that makes more sense
Can they please fix the bloody co-op in H2A?? It’s the main reason for MCC and I can’t even play the campaign with friends online….