There’s plenty in this latest Halo community update, so why don’t we just hop right into? The first order of business on 343 Industries’ update is to catch us up on how they’re being affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, as so many people across the world are.
“We are not immune to this global pandemic and we’re fully aware of the danger it poses to us as individuals, as a team, and as part of the larger Seattle Community,” author John “Uny” Junyszek writes. “Seeing as safety is the most important thing during a time like this, we… have been working from home ever since.”
Overall, it seems that the developers are well aware of the restrictions of working from home places on everyone, and they’re working hard to remove barriers. More than anything, they encourage us to stay safe, clean, and distant.
Discussing the recent release of Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary to PC, Uny discusses the many improvements to the title, including new Spartan customization, customizable key bindings, and ultrawide/alternate resolution support. While they’re shifting much of their attention to the upcoming Halo 2, they’re also still keeping a close eye on their previous release to make sure that everything stays running smoothly.
One of the key points in the community update is how helpful the community was to 343 in their efforts to release these games. By using the Halo Insider program, the devs were able to get thousands to test the game before the March 3rd launch, helping to add an extra level of polish.
Naturally, they want to bring the same experience to Halo 2. While they don’t have exact dates – or even know what content they’ll be using – for the Halo 2 flighting, they very much intend to use it. Those that want to have a chance at joining in should hop over to Waypoint and register for the program as soon as possible.
If you’re into the lore side of the franchise, then a new novel by Troy Denning will be coming out soon, titled Halo: Shadows of Reach. Set a year after Cortana’s rogue rampage, the novel follows Blue Team as they explore the now-ravaged planet of Reach, battling against another ruthless alien faction.
There’s plenty more in there, such as mentions of esports and future events that were canceled due to COVID-19. All in all, it’s always fantastic to see such detailed writeups and interactions with the community from any developer, but especially one as huge as 343 Industries.
If you’re a fan of the Halo franchise, the future looks bright. Keep your eyes open to see what the next few months bring and maybe you’ll even be lucky enough to be among the ranks testing Halo 2 during the flights!
