Upcoming Halo: The Master Chief Collection Update needs additional time for testing

343 Industries’ upcoming update for Halo: The Master Chief Collection is described by the developers to contain “the biggest changes to the Matchmaking system yet.”  After a rocky launch which saw online play crippled with issues, 343 has been steadily updating the shooter to make it playable.

We’ve identified that additional time and testing is required, says 343i

It looks, however, that this next massive update is going to take a little longer than expected.  “We’ve identified that additional time and testing is required,” reads a post on Halo Waypoint.

343 is still evaluating the release date for this massive update, and a possible beta that will be deployed via the Xbox One Preview program.  The blog post does allude to a February release, though no specific date was given.

The developers confirmed that “continued improvement to the MCC (Master Chief Collection) experience remains our top priority as a studio,” and that the patch will focus on Matchmaking search time, match search success, and lobby/party functionality.

Due to the botched launch of one of the Xbox One’s biggest exclusives for 2014, all Halo: The Master Chief Collection owners will get free content for the game.  The Halo: ODST campaign will be free for all.