This weekend is a significant one for the Halo universe. The Season 2 Finals of the Halo Championship Series kicked off featuring some of the most skilled first-person shooter players in the world battling for their share of a $150,000 prize pool. While the event is supposed to celebrate the Halo universe, in the case of Halo: The Master Chief Collection it has done more harm than good.
Those who have been watching the Halo: The Master Chief Collection finals have witnessed one of the greatest disasters in eSports history. Connection issues delayed matches and there were even disconnects mid-game on several occasions. These technical issues resulted in an abundance of frustration, not only for fans watching the tournament via live stream, but for the professional players participating in it.
The technical issues stem from the lack of true local LAN functionality on the Xbox One. In order for multiplayer games of any nature to be host on Halo: The Master Chief Collection, at least one player in the lobby must maintain a smooth online connection to Xbox Live. Due to unforeseen circumstances that have compromised the stability of the required Xbox Live connection, the games have become a live catastrophe.
These issues have done the Halo series a disservice, which is the last thing it needed after the controversial launch of Halo: The Master Chief Collection. Speaking of which, many players are reporting that the game still isn't stable a full eight months and dozens of patches later.
Halo: The Master Chief Collection's issues have summoned doubt upon developer 343 Industries. It seeks vindication this October with the release of Halo 5: Guardians.