343 Industries details Halo: The Master Chief Collection cross-play plans and new Halo 2: Anniversary customization

A decent update as testing continues.

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What you need to know

WhileHalo Infiniteis the next big Halo game on the horizon, 343 Industries continues to add and improve things in Halo: The Master Chief Collection. Flight tests for Halo 3: ODST on PChave begun, as has testing to bring over the classic Firefight mode.

As part of the latest developmentupdatefor the game, 343 has shared that Halo 2: Anniversary is getting new customization options, allowing players to set different armor parts on a per-piece basis. You can see an example of these new customization features below.

Customization options will also be increasing for Halo 3, with dozens of new visors and weapon skins to choose from. There’ll also be new variants of Firefight characters for Halo 3: ODST.

343 also talked about how exactly cross-play is going to work when added to the collection. As a general rule in matchmaking, crossplay will be input-based on a playlist level, with different playlists treated differently in order to provide the best experience while also ensuring playlists have solid populations. Overall, the team is making “good progress” on the feature and is hoping to have cross-play in a flight test soon.

As always, if you’re interested in participating in these tests, be sure to sign up for theHalo Insider Program.

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The Master Chief Collection is a collection of every Halo shooter from the pre-Xbox One era, offering incredible value at an incredible price.

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Samuel Tolbert is a freelance writer covering gaming news, previews, reviews, interviews and different aspects of the gaming industry, specifically focusing on Xbox and PC gaming on Windows Central. You can find him on Twitter@SamuelTolbert.