A now-removed product page for the addition of the Halo 3: ODST campaign to Halo: The Master Chief Collection was found in the Xbox Games Store on Wednesday.
The release date on the page was listed as Friday, May 29, as a 8.1GB download. The add-on was listed as free for those who purchased Halo: The Master Chief Collection prior to December 19, 2014.
A cached version of the deleted page can still be used to see what the listing detailed, but developer 343 Industries has since stated that the release date that was listed was only a placeholder.
343 Industries previously stated that ODST would be released some time in May, but with the news that the May 29 release date from the deleted listing was a placeholder and time running out on the month, it seems unlikely that the add-on will make it’s way to consumers this month.
This free content was offered as an apology from developer 343 Industries for the multiplayer issues Halo: The Master Chief Collection purchasers have experienced. Matchmaking problems and in-game glitches were prominent and continue to be so for some players. Peer-to-peer servers for the game’s multiplayer matches also enabled some users to cheat and exploit mechanics. The problems have been so pervasive and ongoing that as recently as April of this year, 343 Industries and the Electronic Sports League (ESL) were forced to cancel an official competitive tournament.
Bernie Ross, studio head of 343, “personally apologize[d] on behalf of us all at 343 Industries. Our team is committed to working around the clock until these issues are resolved.” The developers gave players a complimentary month of Xbox Live Gold and other benefits for their troubles.
Follow Rob Shimshock on Twitter @Xylyntial.