Ever since Microsoft made Halo: The Master Chief Collection available on PC, many fans of the series have gotten a great deal of mileage out of the game. Being able to play through the Halo campaigns and play multiplayer online with friends all on PC has given Microsoft a great deal of additional success. As the company continues to develop subsequent features for the game, there is a possibility that multiplayer maps from a forgotten and cancelled Halo game will be made available on The Master Chief Collection.
Since its debut on PC, The Master Chief Collection has seen numerous updates that include additional games, maps, and other types of content. The most recent update for the game launched Halo 3: ODST, which was recently made available to all users. Though, it seems the next update could potentially include content from Halo Online.
A lot of people might not know or remember anything about Halo Online, considering how short lived it was. It was a highly modified version of Halo 3 that featured free to play online multiplayer. Microsoft developed the game with Saber Interactive, though the game was cancelled before it even left beta.
A mod of Halo Online titled ElDewrito allowed Halo Online to still be playable even after it was taken down. Microsoft entered into a legal battle with the team behind it, but nothing's come of it since. The design director, Max Szlagor, made a blog post that mentioned potentially having multiplayer maps from Halo Online be made available on The Master Chief Collection. Nothing definitive followed, but it did show that 343 is considering the possibility of bringing the game back in some capacity.
Admittedly, it is impressive how 343 has managed to stay on top of all of its respective projects. The fact that the development team managed to put out so much content in the time since The Master Chief Collection released on PC last year, in addition to the work being done on Halo Infinite, is quite the feat.
Though, it does beg to question whether Microsoft will try and revive Halo Online in some capacity. Despite Microsoft taking legal action against the team behind the ElDewrito mod, the company did express interest in working with the team to bring some kind of online Halo multiplayer presence on PC. Though, the PC port of The Master Chief Collection might simply be the answer to that request.
Halo: The Master Chief Collection is available now for PC and Xbox One.
Source: HaloWaypoint