If you owned an original Xbox, chances are you got hooked on Microsoft’s award-winning Halo franchise. I fell in love with the game early on and really enjoyed playing it for hours on ends with friends. You remember, back when people played split screen games where you shared the screen with four friends instead of playing online and having the entire screen to yourselves? It was the best of times. Now, you can relive your childhood through Halo: The Master Chief Collection, but on PC instead of Xbox.
Microsoft will be launching this collection of all Halo games, Halo: Reach included, on both the Microsoft Store and Steam. You read that right, Microsoft is releasing its Halo collection on Steam this time around, which would mark this as a first for the company.
Halo: The Master Chief Collection for PC
Halo: The Master Chief Collection has been available on Xbox One for quite a while, though it didn’t include Halo: Reach as its PC counterpart will. Halo on the PC has always been something that gamers have wanted, and Microsoft never really delivered, though this will change all of that.
According to the announcement, the release “will happen in stages with each title releasing one by one over time -– giving the development teams the ability to ensure each one is right, while giving players a chance to jump in right away, rather than having to wait for the entire suite of games to be completed.” This means that you won’t get all of the games at one time, you’ll get each one in chronological order in the absolute best way that Microsoft can release them. This not only lets you enjoy the saga as it was designed but gives you the option to play sooner, instead of waiting for all titles to be finished.
The release schedule will start with Halo: Reach, as it’s the beginning of Master Chief’s saga, and will follow as Halo: Combat Evolved, Halo 2, Halo 3, Halo 3: ODST (Campaign), and finish with Halo 4.
One thing that Microsoft and 343 Industries say will happen with this staged rollout is that “…each game will evolve and grow over time with community input.” The games will be available in up to 4K HDR depending on the title, which is a welcomed feature by PC gamers around the world.
The landing page for Halo: The Master Chief Collection is already live on Steam, though the Microsoft Store page is yet to be found. We don’t have a pricing layout yet for the individual games or entire collection but expect more information to come out soon.
[9to5-press-release]
Today we’re extremely excited to share two big announcements that deliver on what are easily the most frequently requested asks from our community over the last few years: First, Halo: Reach is being added to Halo: The Master Chief Collection (MCC) and second, the entire collection is coming to PC via the Microsoft Store and Steam! This is an incredibly exciting opportunity for us to bring the Halo Universe and Master Chief’s story to a new audience and to offer PC gamers a chance to step into the franchise on the PC platform of their choice.
For the team at 343 Industries, the most important and critical element of this project is ensuring that Halo: The Master Chief Collection delivers a true “first class” experience on PC. We’re embarking on a journey with our community to build a PC experience that delivers on PC gamer expectations. The team is passionately committed to ensuring that all of the features, bells, and whistles expected in a modern PC title are included with MCC.
The Master Chief’s arrival on PC will happen in stages with each title releasing one by one over time -– giving the development teams the ability to ensure each one is right, while giving players a chance to jump in right away, rather than having to wait for the entire suite of games to be completed. Our current plan is for this journey to begin with the launch of Halo: Reach – the fictional beginnings of Master Chief’s saga – with the rest of the titles following in chronological order thereafter. Halo: Reach, Halo: Combat Evolved, Halo 2, Halo 3, Halo 3: ODST (Campaign), and Halo 4 will each be available for individual purchase within MCC as they become available. And each game will evolve and grow over time with community input.
Along with “bring Halo: The Master Chief Collection to PC!”, the next loudest refrain from Halo fans has been to “add Halo: Reach to Halo: The Master Chief Collection!” and we’re excited to make good on both requests later this year. Halo: Reach in Halo: The Master Chief Collection on Xbox One looks better than ever in stunning 4K/HDR on compatible hardware and plays better than ever at a silky smooth 60FPS.
On Xbox One specifically, Halo: Reach’s multiplayer content (which includes Forge and the Theater) will be automatically included for everyone who owns Halo: The Master Chief Collection while Halo: Reach’s Campaign and Firefight experiences will be offered together as a premium digital add-on. Xbox Game Pass subscribers will have access to the entirety of Halo: Reach within MCC as part of their subscription. Halo: Reach will look and play just as great when it lands on the Microsoft Store and Steam with Campaign, Multiplayer, and Firefight available for purchase as the first step in this PC journey.
We know many of you will have questions, so stay tuned to Halo Waypoint – we’ll have plenty more to say, share, and show on the road to release. The team at 343 Industries, along with our partners at Splash Damage and Ruffian, are already hard at work and we can’t wait to bring the community along on this journey.
On behalf of the entire 343 Industries team, thank you to everyone who’s continued to play and support Halo and Halo: The Master Chief Collection and for not giving up on the dream of one day enjoying these great experiences on a PC.
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