Halo collection's matchmaking fix due Wednesday

Gamers who purchased Halo's new collection may soon have an easier time finding others to play with.

Halo: The Master Chief Collection, the suite of individual Halo titles for the Xbox One, has suffered a matchmaking bug that makes it difficult to find players for multiplayer games. After the collection's launch last Tuesday, Microsoft blamed the problem in part on the lack of available users due to the game's gradual rollout across regions. But at this point, it's clear that specific bugs have also played in a role.

Halo developer 343 Industries updated players about the situation on Saturday. Adjustments on the back end made some improvements in the connectivity required for matchmaking, the company said. But the adjustments haven't been quite enough. So 343 is targeting an update for Wednesday, which it promises will not only resolve the matchmaking issue but also squash some unrelated bugs and fix issues related to specific titles.

The Halo franchise, a first-person shooter that revolves around interstellar warfare, is immensely popular. Matchmaking is among its vital features, allowing players to join existing games and match their skills against others. Microsoft, which owns 343 Industries, is clearly counting on holiday demand for Halo: The Master Chief Collection to increase software sales for the Xbox One and potentially lure in more buyers for the console itself. Any major glitch could dissuade buyers from spending $60 on the collection.

The blog post on Saturday from 343 Industries executive producer Dan Ayoub detailed the situation:

Looking at our data logs, server-side adjustments that we have made over the past 24 hours have shown a 20% increase in server connectivity. However, we are well aware that performance is not where it needs to be. Resolving Matchmaking issues also requires client-side fixes, which require a content update. The client side update, which focuses on Matchmaking performance, non-matchmaking bugs, and a variety of title-specific issues, has been completed and is going through testing and certification. We are currently targeting a release of Wednesday 11/19 for this content update.

We know the current Matchmaking experience is frustrating, and we continue to have various teams working 24/7 to isolate and resolve the issues to provide the best experience as soon as possible. We are going to continue to optimize the matchmaking experience after next week's content update, and make further adjustments as needed. We thank you for your continued patience.

On Friday, 343 released an initial update for the suite that addressed some matchmaking issues.

Halo: The Master Chief Collection combines a remastered Halo 2: Anniversary, along with Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary, Halo 3, Halo 4, the new Halo: Nightfall, and access to the beta for Halo 5: Guardians.

Microsoft declined CNET's request for comment.

Updated at 5:30 a.m. PT November 18 with Microsoft's response.