Microsoft Reportedly Ended Halo: The Master Chief Collection Development Last July

Last July, developer 343 Industries dropped a substantial new update for Halo: The Master Chief Collection. Since then, fans have not heard much about the game, with rumors starting to circulate late last year that the game was being spun down to some degree. Recently, a new report shed more light on what has seemingly been going on behind the scenes, claiming that Microsoft decided to shut down development on Halo: The Master Chief Collection despite 343 Industries wanting to continue working on the game. It's a bit of a confusing rumor considering Halo: MCC received a small patch last month, but it does explain why the developer has been largely quiet about the game since last July.

Halo: MCC Supposedly No Longer in Active Development

One reason Microsoft ended Halo MCC development last July is because it lacks a revenue stream. 343 Industries wasn’t happy with Microsoft’s decision.

Btw 343 tried to create revenue for MCC with purchasable Spartan Points but scrapped the idea due to backlash from Halo fans. https://t.co/TNg1KD88W5

— Rebs Gaming (@Mr_Rebs_) March 7, 2024

The report comes from Rebs Gaming, which claims that Microsoft ended Halo: MCC development last July due to the lack of a consistent revenue stream. While you'll want to take this information with a massive grain of salt, Rebs Gaming has successfully leaked several other pieces of Halo-centric information, including the release dates for Halo Infinite multiplayer content. That doesn't mean it's 100% true, but it does make the information more legitimate.

Fans will remember that 343 "explored" adding microtransactions last June, but the fan response was very negative, so the team never moved forward with the plan. Again, it's hard to say how legitimate all of this is, but the timeline obviously matches up very well. That, in itself, suggests that this information is likely legitimate.

It's also worth noting that 343 was reportedly not happy with Microsoft's decision. After all, the team was able to take the project and turn it into a success, at least in the fan's eyes. Considering it started with such a rocky launch, that's an impressive feat from 343, but the money seemingly wasn't there. That said, it is noted in the report that it's possible 343 might be able to restart development on Halo: The Master Chief Collection in the future, though it seems unlikely given this report.

However, it's worth repeating that the game did receive a small patch on February 14th. That, of course, doesn't mean the report isn't true. More likely, the support patch is simply an update made by a small team to iron out a few issues and not a signal that something larger is coming down the pike. 

Fortunately, Halo fans do have quite a bit going on these days. Halo Infinite continues to get updates and improvements, and more notably, Halo Season 2 has been a hit. The second season of the TV series has two more episodes left, wrapping things up on March 21st. We haven't heard about a third season for the show, but it seems likely given how positive critics have been on Season 2.