The PC releases of Halo: The Master Chief Collection saw “the largest addition of new players to the franchise since Halo 3”

343 Industries and Microsoft’s ports of the classic Halo titles to PC, via the Master Chief Collection, has put new life into the franchise.

In an end of year community update post from 343 Industries studio head Bonnie Ross, Ross addressed the success the company had seen from porting the Master Chief Collection to PC. The 5-game collection had been released in a piecemeal fashion, culminating with Halo 4 in November.

“This has been an unprecedented and turbulent year for us all, but as I reflect on what our studio has accomplished, it has been a source of pride and hope. While we are grateful that we can do our work from home, it has changed the way we work together as a team and how we create games—the good, the bad, the learning, and the new” said Ross in the post.

“During this time, we launched five games as part of Halo: The Master Chief Collection on PC, leading to the largest addition of new players to the franchise since Halo 3.”

This record may well be broken by the upcoming release of Halo Infinite, coming in Fall 2021. Halo Infinite was originally planned as a launch title for the Xbox Series consoles, but was delayed after its reveal trailer disappointed fans.

“2021 will be a big year for the Halo franchise,” said Ross in the post. “As we recently announced, Halo Infinite will release in fall of 2021. I realize the wait has been difficult, and I assure you that the team wants the game in your hands as soon as possible, but they also want to deliver something special…the Halo game you deserve. Thank you for your patience, your understanding, and most importantly your words of support to the team. I cannot express how grateful I am for the Halo community and the encouragement you’ve expressed to us. It has lifted us up and provided us the fuel to keep going.”