This might sound came out of nowhere, but apparently, Microsoft and 343 Industries are hinting at releasing Halo: The Master Chief Collection outside of Xbox and PC. In Halo Waypoint’s February 2021 MCC Dev & Flighting update, 343 community manager Postums wrote that Halo: MCC might be playable in a new platform for the upcoming flight/beta test, quite possibly on the Nintendo Switch for a specific reason.
According to the post, 343 Industries will run another Halo: MCC flighting later this month or in early March to test out new features and contents. Some of the test items include FOV slider support for Xbox One, additional control and keybinding options, mouse and keyboard functionality for Xbox, view model adjustments, and a new “place and way to play” the game if everything goes according to plan. The developer team is still patiently saving the detail for when it launches the beta test.
Although only mentioned briefly in a Halo: MCC flight update post, this news might be bigger than it looks. It seems unlikely that this will only lead to Epic Games Store or other storefronts release. At first, I was thinking about Microsoft adding Mac and/or Linux support to the game. But since Halo: MCC uses Easy Anti-Cheat and the system is still having issues with Linux, I doubt it’s gonna happen. Besides, it’s not really a “new place” if it’s still on a computer, right?
On the other hand, just hours ago, Xbox’s Instagram account posted a mock-up photo of a classic NES-styled cartridge with the Halo: CE cover on it, as seen above. And considering Ori was eventually released on Switch, and the console’s Minecraft has crossplay with Xbox, this could be a clue to where 343 Industries will bring the compilation into. Setting aside the canceled Halo DS, if this is true, this will be the first time the series is playable on a portable console. Releasing Halo: MCC on Switch definitely lines up with the aforementioned “new ways to play” as well.
Still, it’s just a guessing game. What new platform do you think Halo: MCC will land onto? Let us know what your predictions are in the comments below.