343 Industries has stated that it was “simply not feasible” to deliver Halo: The Master Chief Collection on two discs, in response to fan grievances regarding the game’s 20GB day one download.
The Halo franchise development director, Frank O’Connor, has mentioned that the game was “crafted to operate as a single, unified entity”, and swapping discs would have disrupted this.
“Obviously, digital is seamless, but we also desired for disc users to have the same experience without the need to swap discs,” he wrote in a post on NeoGAF.
“Since the majority of it [the content update] is related to multiplayer or multiplayer aspects, the logic is rational. There will also be a title update included, but that in itself constitutes a minuscule portion of the content.
“We are aware that this might not be ideal for everyone, but it is the route to the most seamless eventual experience.”
343 has previously mentioned that you will be capable of playing the game’s single-player campaigns while the 20GB content update is being installed.
The content update will also be accessible for download in advance if you pre-order and pre-download the game.
In another post, O’Connor acknowledged that two discs could be a solution for a different product released at a different time – but that requiring the download was the most straightforward solution for the Collection.
“Everything is possible; it just wasn’t practical for this product, this year within this timeline,” O’Connor wrote. “The Xbox One platform is continuously evolving and maturing, arguably at a faster pace and more significantly than others. Perhaps next year, two discs or some other approach would have been the correct choice, but this year, the option we have available, on balance, makes the most sense for this massive and ambitious project.
“Do I comprehend the inconvenience and annoyance for some users? Of course. I’m not going to deceive or ignore it. For some individuals, it will undoubtedly be irritating, and I both offer an unreserved apology for the annoyance and hope that the package and the way it functions more than compensates for it.
“I’ve been playing the entire package for a week now, and the ability to sample, jump from one aspect to another, customize with skulls and playlists has been absolutely captivating and mesmerizing.
“I believe I would have relished a box set with the same precision, but the way everything connects has, at least for me, made it more than the sum of its parts.
“I personally have rather slow internet and I’m doing everything via Wi-Fi,” he concluded, “but my installation and immediate play were all quite smooth.”
