Halo: The Master Chief Collection may get microtransactions in the future

Artwork for Halo: MCC.
(Image credit: Xbox Game Studios)

What you need to know

  • 343 Industries has announced that it may add purchasable "Spartan Points" to Halo: Master Chief Collection in the future.
  • These "Spartan Points" are renamed Season Points that exist in the game currently, and they allow players to unlock cosmetics in Halo: MCC.
  • If implemented, 343 Industries says that these microtransactions would be additive and that they would not affect how players can currently earn points by leveling up and completing in-game challenges.
  • The developer confirmed that it would have more information to share in a future update.

In the latest Halo Community Update, developer 343 Industries has announced that in the future, it may introduce a purchasable currency to Halo: The Master Chief Collection (Halo: MCC) in the form of "Spartan Point" microtransactions. With the studio moving away from seasonal updates for the game, it has plans to rename Halo: MCC's Season Points — the currency that players can earn and use to unlock cosmetics — to Spartan Points. When this happens, a way to directly purchase Spartan Points may also be added.

In the blog post, it was stressed that if these microtransactions are implemented, they would strictly be an additive feature, and that the studio is "happy with the current system of how players earn Spartan Points, by completing challenges and levelling up through play." The purchasable Spartan Points would simply give fans a quick and direct way to unlock more customization items they don't have yet, allowing them to skip the leveling process. 

It's good to hear that these microtransactions wouldn't affect how effectively players can unlock Season/Spartan Points in Halo: MCC currently, and that they'll have zero impact on the actual gameplay experience itself. However, some players have argued that instead of adding microtransactions, the studio should make the process of leveling easier and less grindy if they want fans to be able to get unlocks faster. 343 Industries communicated that it would have more to share about purchasable Spartan Points in the future, so hopefully we'll learn more about the developer's reasoning soon.

Halo: MCC is available now on Xbox and PC, and since it combines all of the main pre-Xbox One era Halo games (as well as Halo 2: Anniversary) into one package, it's one of the best Xbox games you can get today in terms of value. The developers have also added additional content to the collection post-launch, including new maps, new armor sets, weapon skins, and more.

Halo: The Master Chief Collection

Halo: The Master Chief Collection

Halo: The Master Chief Collection combines all of the pre-Xbox One era Halo shooters into one bundle, complete with additional content and a modern progression system. It's one of the best Xbox games out there in terms of value, and we strongly recommend giving it a shot if you're a Halo fan or you're looking to get into the series.

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Brendan Lowry

Brendan Lowry is a Windows Central writer and Oakland University graduate with a burning passion for video games, of which he's been an avid fan since childhood. He's been writing for Team WC since the summer of 2017, and you'll find him doing news, editorials, reviews, and general coverage on everything gaming, Xbox, and Windows PC. His favorite game of all time is probably NieR: Automata, though Elden Ring, Fallout: New Vegas, and Team Fortress 2 are in the running, too. When he's not writing or gaming, there's a good chance he's either watching an interesting new movie or TV show or actually going outside for once. Follow him on X (Twitter).