Halo: The Master Chief Collection won't be a part of Xbox Play Anywhere
Xbox One owners of Halo: The Master Chief Collection won't be able to play Halo: The Master Chief Collection on Windows PC for free. A host of Xbox One titles fall under the Xbox Play Anywhere program but Halo: The Master Chief Collection won't be one of them. What this means is, if you already own the game on Xbox One, you'll have to pay for it again to play it on Windows PC. The Xbox Play Anywhere program includes 73 games, the latest of which is the critically-panned Microsoft-published Crackdown 3.
"One of the questions we've gotten is will MCC [Master Chief Collection] PC support Xbox Play Anywhere, and first off I want to say we so appreciate all of the support we've had from the Xbox One community with MCC and we're obviously bringing [Halo] Reach to MCC," 343 Industries Studio Head Bonnie Ross said during a quick panel discussion before the Halo Championship Series Invitational grand finals.
"While MCC shipped before the XPA Play Anywhere, we are exploring ways to make sure that we show our appreciation and recognition for the support we've had from the amazing fans on MCC and we'll have more to announce as we get closer to launch."
Halo: The Master Chief Collection is finally coming to PC. It contains Halo: Combat Evolved, Halo 2, Halo 3, Halo 4, and arguably the greatest Halo game ever, Halo 3: ODST. They will be released individually via Steam or the Microsoft Store for Windows 10.
In addition to this, Halo: Reach would be added to Halo: The Master Chief Collection for Xbox One. There's no Halo: The Master Chief Collection PC release date other than "later this year", nor is there a price, or download size just yet. Disappointingly, Halo: Reach's single-player campaign and Firefight horde mode will be offered as paid add-ons, with only multiplayer being free.
"On Xbox One specifically, Halo: Reach's multiplayer content (which includes Forge and the Theater) will be automatically included for everyone who owns Halo: The Master Chief Collection while Halo: Reach's Campaign and Firefight experiences will be offered together as a premium digital add-on," a post on the official Xbox website reads.
"Xbox Game Pass subscribers will have access to the entirety of Halo: Reach within MCC as part of their subscription. Halo: Reach will look and play just as great when it lands on the Microsoft Store and Steam with Campaign, Multiplayer, and Firefight available for purchase as the first step in this PC journey."
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