‘Halo: Master Chief Collection’ Beta Iced, ‘Relic’ Map Gets First Look
Developer 343 Industries previously hinted that the Xbox One beta for the upcoming Halo: The Master Chief Collection update might not happen. The developer confirmed that is the case Monday with an explanation as to why. There’s also a sneak peek at the upcoming “Relic” multiplayer map meant to be part of the studio’s apology for the issues the shooter launched with.
Community Manager Andy “Bravo” Dudynsky broke the news on Halo Waypoint that the beta for the Halo: The Master Collection update has been cancelled. The beta was originally supposed to happen for Xbox One Preview Program members at the end of January, but was delayed for unspecified reasons. The delay forced 343 Industries to decide between releasing the patch even later than planned and performing a test run with the Halo community.
The latest on Halo: The Master Chief Collection content updates, Relic, and more: http://t.co/ZcJXkC6lGz
— Halo (@Halo) February 9, 2015
“After further evaluation, the team has determined that that final testing for the content update will be completed internally, and we will not be conducting a beta test for the next CU,” Dudynsky explained. “Also, it was determined that the additional time and work devoted to the beta would’ve actually postponed the public availability of the content update. Lastly, there were some added challenges surrounding the CU beta – including an extra series of required updates and rollbacks – that made us take a step back and reexamine the CU beta. Ultimately, this plan will allow us to deliver the smoothest possible experience, and ensure that the next content update becomes available as soon as possible.”
It’s unfortunate because a thorough community beta test could have helped publicize the update while also providing some confidence that the problems with Halo: The Master Chief Collection were being corrected. Instead, 343 Industries is now being mocked on forums like NeoGAF and the Halo sub-Reddit.
Dudynsky did not provide an update on when the Halo: MCC patch might be released, but the current target still appears to be February based on previous comments. No additional details on what is being fixed either, so we are left with the following three areas as the targets of the next update.
- Matchmaking search time
- Match search success
- Lobby/Party Functionality
Meanwhile, 343 Inudstries gave a look at what developer Certain Affinity has done so far with the “Relic” multiplayer map remake. The map is part of the apology for the issues with Halo: MCC that also includes a remaster of the Halo 3: ODST campaign, a free month of Xbox LIVE Gold, and an in-game nameplate and avatar.
Unfortunately, it looks like both the map and Halo 3: ODST are quite a ways off from release. All that is shown so far is concept art. Also, Dudynsky stated that they’ll be sharing the work on the map “over the course of the next few months.”
What do you think of the cancellation of the beta test for the next patch for Halo: The Master Chief Collection? Sound off in the comments below.
[Image via Halo Waypoint]
