Over the past few weeks, we’ve been telling you more and more about the journey that lies ahead, and I do believe it is safe to say that these are exciting times indeed. Inside the studio, we’re putting the finishing touches on a variety of projects, some of which will be available to you as soon as tomorrow, some that are less than two weeks away, and others that will be coming closer to the end of the calendar year. In this week’s update, we have some details on these very experiences, and I’m excited to get started, so let’s do just that.

Halo: The Master Chief Collection – Wait, There’s More

We’ve been working with our friends over at IGN to deliver you daily drops of goodness from The Master Chief Collection, and as we approach the launch, we’ve got a few extra details for you. I caught up with Max Szlagor, Senior Designer on the project and all-around great guy, to get some extra details on customization and unlockables. (Be sure to stop by tomorrow, as there may be more info on the way)

Customization & Unlockables

As we mentioned before, all content for each of the previously released games within The Master Chief Collection has been unlocked for you to enjoy on day one. In addition, we added lots of new unlockable customization options such as emblems, nameplates, and avatars (you may have seen some sneak peeks at these throughout the summer). Items can be unlocked in a variety of ways, although the majority are granted for completing different types of achievements. Once unlocked, players can select one of these new customization items to add a bit of style to their appearance in game lobbies and their player profile page. Additional unlockables include a new Halo 2 skull, 15 Terminal videos, and a customizable clan tag, with over 300 items in total. Here is a sample of what is available:

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450 Xbox One Backgrounds

Recently, if you frequent the interwebz, you may have gotten a sneak peek at some high-quality achievement images from Halo: The Master Chief Collection. Today, we’re excited to announce that every single unlocked achievement will also be represented by a high quality image from the new Halo 2 cinematics, unreleased concept art, level images, or a Terminal frame. This will allow you to take advantage of the new Xbox One feature that allows you to change your background, and we suggest that you don your achievement wallpapers proudly. Here is a sneak peek at just a few of them: