Halo: The Master Chief Collection has been out for a few months now, and with the matchmaking issues now largely a thing of the past, 343 Industries has been conducting extensive internal testing for an upcoming content update. However, given the scale of the update, which includes more changes to "the matchmaking experience and party system," the developer is looking to expand the testing to include "select" members of the Xbox One Preview program.
The content update beta will be open to Xbox One owners in North America who own a copy of Halo: The Master Chief Collection and have opted-in for the Xbox One beta testing as part of the Preview program. 343 notes that the beta test will only be made available to selected participants "based on the highest levels of engagement with Halo: The Master Chief Collection," with selected participants being prompted to download the update automatically on Friday, January 23.
More details regarding the actual contents of the update — like the specific matchmaking experience and party system improvements — will be shared closer to the date. The exact dates and times for the beta are still subject to change, but the current plan is to test the content update during the evenings of Friday, January 23 through Monday, January 26. Be warned though, participating in the beta means you will only be matched with other players that also have the content update, so hopefully searching won't take forever.
"In the days after the conclusion of the beta test, we will issue a content update that will then allow matchmaking with all players, as it worked prior to the beta test," 343 promised.
As always, we'll be sure to let you know when the update goes live.
