All the rumors surrounding its release have been confirmed. Today’s Inside Xbox stream announced that Halo: The Master Chief Collection is coming to PC. What’s interesting about the news, though, is that it won’t be exclusive to the Microsoft store. It’s also coming to Steam (probably because Microsoft wants people to buy it), and the storefront page is already live.
Unfortunately, it seems that we won’t get the entire collection right off the bat. Instead, the game is coming to us piece by piece, starting with Halo: Reach and then followed by the rest in chronological order. Apparently, the reason is because developer 343 Industries plans to use it as a testbed to make sure the following games will be up to snuff.
“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,” Microsoft wrote in a statement.
The news for Reach should be exciting for fans, as the game was never included in the original collection. There has been a demand for it, for sure, so finally seeing it getting its proper due makes the long wait feel rewarding. It doesn’t appear, however, that Halo: Reach will get the remastered treatment. But it’s not as if the game really needs one. The 2010 series prequel still looks good. It should look even better in higher resolution and running at 60-plus frames-per-second.
Halo: Reach is only the starting gun. Following that game will be Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary, Halo 2: Anniversary, Halo 3, Halo 3: ODST, and Halo 4. That’s 67 campaign missions and more than 120 maps for multiplayer and the Spartan Ops mode.
Welcome Back, Chief
The collection and PC have always felt like a natural partnership. For some months now, rumors have swirled around the possibility of the collection making it our way. It’s good to see Microsoft supporting the platform that made its name. Of course, this isn’t the first time we’ve had the Master Chief on the PC. The original Halo: Combat Evolved came to the platform back in 2003, as did Halo 2 in 2007. Halo: Infinite, the sixth canonical installment, is also slated for a PC release.
With Halo: The Master Chief Collection heading to PC, expect the proper amount of spit and polish. There will, naturally, be mouse and keyboard support, FOV sliders, resolution options (including ultrawide and 4K), and customizable keybinds.
The announcement didn’t mention a release date. However, we expect Microsoft and 343 to mention something by the time E3 rolls around in June. Hell, we might even hear something beforehand. The Steam store page for the game is live, but it also doesn’t hint at a launch window. We should expect Halo: The Master Chief Collection, starting with Halo: Reach, to come this year.
