After rumours of a PC release for the Halo: Master Chief Collection piled up, Microsoft officially announced the series will finally be coming to PC later this year via the Microsoft Store and Steam, and will be “built specifically for the PC audience.”
Much of the information about the PC port sounds similar to the Xbox One edition, as Halo: MCC on PC will contain campaign and multiplayer support. However what is unknown at this time is if Cross-Play will be supported or if those who already purchased the Xbox One edition will receive it for free via the Xbox Play Anywhere titles.
What is strange is that Microsoft is planning to release the games separately, starting with Halo: Reach and releasing in chronological order (Halo CE, Halo 2, Halo 3, ODST, and Halo 4). According to 343 studios, this is to make sure that “each one is right, while giving players a chance to jump in right away, and not having to wait for the entire suite of games to be completed.” Microsoft confirmed that each game will be made available separately along with a single Collection bundle. No pricing has been given for the individual releases or the collection itself at this time.
343 Industries will also be bringing on some other studios to make sure that the games work right, receiving help from studios like Splash Damage (Dirty Bomb, Enemy Territory) and Ruffian (Crackdown 2). “The team is passionately committed to ensuring that all the features, bells, and whistles expected in a modern PC title are included with MCC,” 343 said.
Seeing Microsoft’s flagship shooter jump to PC is a pretty big deal, with the first two games being released some time after their original Xbox launch, the rest of the series never received that chance despite fan demand. With Microsoft’s move to include the PC in their work and the confirmation that the upcoming Halo Infinite is coming to PC, things look promising for PC players who would be excited to get their hands on Microsoft’s exclusive releases.