Eight years after launch, 343 Industries appears to be preparing a new content drop forHalo: The Master Chief Collection. A screenshot posted on its official Twitter account features a UNSC soldier fighting off a group of Flood organisms, likely hinting at a new addition toHalo: ODSTandHalo: Reach’s “firefight” game mode.Halo: TheMaster Chief Collectionwas first released in 2014 as an extensive collection of remasters for the acclaimed series. It provided visual, audio, multiplayer, and UI updates to the series, while also bringing the majority of theHalofranchise to PC in a later 2019 update. Since then,Halo:The Master Chief Collectionhas received multiple updates through its seasonal system, with each season accompanied by an assortment of small patches andcosmetic unlocks forHalo’s multiplayer modes.RELATED:Halo Infinite Last Spartan Standing Battle Royale Rumors ExplainedAlthough the tweet from343 Industrieswas cryptic, it’s obvious from the included screenshot that the Flood will be the highlight of this content update. No release date was given other than “soon”, so fans are left to speculate on exactly how soon they can expect to see what’s in store. 343 Industries stated later that the update would “invalidate previous Theater films and mid-mission Campaign saves”. Along with being a helpful warning for campaign players, it’s also an indication that the update may impact the campaign in some way.
The Flood are a common enemy type in manyHalogames, where players generally need tofight off massive hordesof the aptly named alien parasites. Due to their swarm tactics, it would make sense to include them in “firefight”, aHalogame mode in which players fight off waves of enemies for as long as they can. This game mode generally only featured the Covenant as an enemy, but fans have long hoped for the opportunity to team up against the Flood.
SinceHalo: TheMaster Chief Collectionmostly receives updates in the form of cosmetic unlocks for multiplayer each season, it’s significant for 343 Industries to instead bring entirely new game mechanics into the fold. The Flood have always been confined toHalo’s campaign mode, or otherwise don’t appear at all in severalHalotitles. If 343’s teaser is indicating that the Flood are to be included inReachandODST’s"firefight" game mode, then players will be fighting against the Flood in games where the Flood actually wasn’t featured at all.
While many fans are excited to see new content added to the 8-year-old collection, others have voiced their frustration.Halo Infinitesuffered a rocky launch and is still fighting for relevance in the competitive first-person-shooter market, sofans ofHalo Infiniteunderstandably would have liked for these efforts to be directed towardHaloInfiniterather thanHalo: The Master Chief Collection.
Halo: The Master Chief Collectionis available now on PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series S and X.
MORE:How Halo Infinite Season 2 Can Improve Over Heroes Of Reach
