Microsoft, 343 Industries Dish Out Freebies To Repent For Buggy Halo Multiplayer

Microsoft has encountered more than a few issues with Halo: The Master Chief Collection. The compilation title launched in November and was fraught with issues, the chief of which was broken multiplayer. Players were subject to long wait times to enter matches, broken matchmaking, and various other issues that made the multiplayer — the hallmark of the Halo games — unplayable.

Microsoft and 343 Industries, the new stewards of the Halo franchise, have heard the cries of gamers and are offering to make amends. In addition to ongoing updates to address the multiplayer issues, 343 Industries chief Bonnie Ross announced on Xbox Wire that anyone that played Halo: The Master Chief Collection between November 11 and December 19 will be entitled to a number of freebies including one month of Xbox Live Gold, an exclusive in-game nameplate, and an exclusive in-game avatar.

The free month of Xbox Live Gold will be applied to your account in mid-January. The exclusive in-game nameplate and avatar are coming in an “upcoming content update” that is due before the end of the year.

If that wasn’t enough, 343 Industries is also offering a remastered Halo 3: ODST Campaign (1080p/60fps) and the “Relic” Halo 2: Anniversary Multiplayer Map (also remastered at 1080p/60fps). However, 343 Industries says that both of these releases won’t see the light of day until spring 2015.

It’s unfortunate that many high-profiles games these days are launching with such serious bugs in the first place, but at least 343 Industries is stepping up and fixing the problems on an ongoing basis. And it doesn’t hurt that freebies are being dished out for inconvenienced gamers.