Halo: MCC matchmaking patch delayed until 'later this week'

Halo, is it matchmaking you're looking for? Sorry, but the Halo: The Master Chief Collection matchmaking-focused patch originally scheduled for tomorrow, November 19, is now due "later this week." After a week in which the Xbox One compilation's been beset by online troubles, 343 Industries said the extra time allows the studio to include more fixes in the title update, as well as ensure a complete testing and certification process.

"This content update includes a variety of fixes across the title," reads 343's update on Halo Waypoint, "including matchmaking performance issues, general UI and game stability improvements, as well as fixes for game-game specific issues in Halo: CE, Halo 2, and Halo 2: Anniversary, and more. The full patch notes will be posted later this week, in advance of the content update release."

As our review put it, online matchmaking was "barely functioning" when the Master Chief Collection launched this time last week. Since then, 343's tried to address the long wait times and connectivity problems by deploying server-side fixes and removing playlists.

While there's been some improvement - over the weekend 343 reported a 20 percent jump in server connectivity across 24 hours. - Executive Producer Dan Ayoub admitted the studio is "well aware that performance is not where it needs to be."

"We know the current matchmaking experience is frustrating," Ayoub said on Saturday, "and we continue to have various teams working 24/7 to isolate and resolve the issues to provide the best experience as soon as possible. We are going to continue to optimize the matchmaking experience after next week's content update, and make further adjustments as needed. We thank you for your continued patience."

[Image: Microsoft]