Online matchmaking issues have plagued the launch of the Halo Master Chief Collection, and readers have written GameSpot all morning venting their various frustrations with the game. But 343 Industries executive producer Dan Ayoub just posted a letter to the developer’s website that details what they’re doing about it.
Ayoub writes, “Over the past 48 hours, we believe we have identified the primary matchmaking issue, and are working on a solution right now. In the meantime, we’ll be rolling out additional tweaks over the next days to further improve the experience while we ready this solution. We are monitoring the data and working on tweaks that should continue to improve your matchmaking experience while we prep. In addition, we’ll be releasing a game Content Update tomorrow that will address non-matchmaking related issues.”
For today, Ayoub notes that they will “trim the hopper list to allow us to drive population to those that are functioning the best. … We will bring the other hoppers back online as things improve, but our primary focus right now is getting you into matches.”
From a separate post, the following playlists will be temporarily removed:
- Team Hardcore
- Rumble Pit
- Halo 4
- SWAT (rotational)
The “updated” playlist will include:
- Team Halo 2: Anniversary
- Halo Championship Series
- Team Slayer
- Big Team Battle
- Halo 2 Classic
- Halo 3
While there are no complete solutions available right now, Ayoub writes that most matches should successfully pair you up within four minutes. “We’re seeing successful match times from anywhere from 15 seconds to 4 minutes. 4 minutes is a long time to wait for a match, but don’t quit out too quickly as it will come. If you haven’t found a match within about 4 minutes, please exit the search and restart, as this will reset the parameters and increase the likelihood of entering a match.”
Ayoub closes out his letter by personally apologizing for the “current situation” and adding, “…we won’t rest until it’s what it should be. People are reporting improvements across the board, which is great, but we’re not backing down until we finish this fight.”
If you’re experiencing issues with the game, unfortunately there’s isn’t much to do besides sit tight and know that updates and patches will be continuously pouring in.
Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email news@gamespot.com