Halo: The Master Chief Collection to Beta Test Future Matchmaking Fixes

Usually, news of a Halo beta test would have us leaning at the edge of our chairs, but this one is for The Master Chief Collection's matchmaking fixes.

On Halo Waypoint, 343 Industries has announced that it's going to be running a beta test over the next few weeks. While we usually stare wide-eyed at the thought of an upcoming Halo beta test, this one is a bit of a letdown. 343 Industries is beta testing the next set of fixes to Halo: The Master Chief Collection's multiplayer matchmaking, and it wants as many players to help. Womp womp.

This next big update is expected to revamp The Master Chief Collection's matchmaking and connectivity. Our biggest gripe with this content is that it all just looks sloppy on 343 Industries' part, and they're running out of Halo games to give out as consolation. Beta testing tends to be a win-win for developers and fans alike, as the studio gets feedback and bug reports on their project while fans get to try out new content before it is released to the masses. This Master Chief Collection beta just seems like something 343 Industries' in-house playtesters should thoroughly play and test on their own. At the same time, we can say that obviously a lot of things fell through the cracks of playtesting when it comes to late 2014 game releases, and this Halo anthology is guilty of quite a bit.

It looks like 343 Industries was ready to dance around the obvious:

Q:           Why are you testing the content update in the Xbox One Preview program? Don’t you have internal playtesting for the very same purpose?

A:           In recent weeks, 343 Industries has been conducting extensive internal testing of the upcoming content update. However, given the scale of the update, which includes changes to the Halo: The Master Chief Collection matchmaking experience and party system, we are opening it up to members of the Xbox One Preview program to provide additional testing in an “at home” environment to ensure the official release is the best possible experience for players.

This open beta is scheduled to start on Jan. 23 for The Master Chief Collection owners who have opted-in for beta testing via the Xbox One's preview program.

It looks like things get crazy when they go live, especially Master Chief.