There’s no denying that the Master Chief is an absolute icon for Microsoft; imagined by Bungie in the late ’90’s, Halo: Combat Evolved took the world by surprise as a breakout title for the original X-Box and Windows in November of 2001. Since then, PC gamers have once again been left out in the cold, as the Halo series grew into a juggernaut of lore, action, and competition becoming the primary reason to own not only the original X-Box but the Xbox360 as well.
So there was a fair bit of circus-like fanfare when the entire series was announced to be coming to Steam as Microsoft publically announced that more of their games were going to begin crossing platform boundaries, including the iconic franchise. This was amid industry buzz as the Epic Games Store continued to experience massive problems in their platform while still purchasing exclusive rights for games that already had prepurchases via Steam.
The October MCC Development Update has arrived! In this month's deep dive we outline the current PC flight, recap our recent Xbox flight, reveal launch playlist information, and more. Check out the latest details now! https://t.co/9eSL6Trozt pic.twitter.com/l00dooXl2l
— Halo (@Halo) October 31, 2019
PC gamers were concerned that the often-mocked console wars would begin to be experienced on the PC platform beyond the Windows/Linux that PC had fought occasionally over the years.
So Microsoft had a wonderful opening to stretch their IP’s beyond their active market that have opted into the Windows app store, or have already purchased an Xbox One. Additionally, they were able to gain some karma and credit with PC gamers that have struggled to use the Windows Store, right off the back of Epic generated bad will.
The Halo series is set to release on the Steam platform in chronological order of lore, making the release pattern Reach, follow by the OG Halo: Combat Evolved, 2, 3 ODST, and finally Halo 4. Yet despite the buzz that has been generated, no finalized release date has been announced for the storied series, despite November now starting. 343 must not only announce the release date, but release the first game prior to December 31st to match their lofty goals of a release in 2019.
The series has also announced that they are actively looking at mod support; this is slowly becoming industry practice as studio’s see Bethesda’s stumbling success as a more-plausible platform for there protected IP’s to receive some fan love. Mod support, as we last heard, is not planned to be incorporated in the base game upon release, but 343 is working with modders behind the scenes to ensure a healthy platform.
The current hush as been disquieting, as PC gamers are beginning to get concerned as to when the series will actually release. The failure to produce a release date thus far could spell problems that are occurring in the port to PC, or it could be a strategy to continue to amass hype for an already astoundingly hyped chronicle. Maybe someone forgot.
Whatever the reason, forums are finding consumers noticing a lack of the release date, and concern is growing.
