Good afternoon Halo Insiders!

Well, at long last, we’re excited to say that the day has finally arrived – invitation emails are on their way out across the internet for Halo Insider MCC Flight One. Before you rush to check your inbox, please keep in mind what we’ve been saying for some time now – this is just the beginning and this initial flight is VERY SMAL L. We’ve had a massive amount of opt-ins to the Insider program which is awesome – but it’s way more people than we can comfortably accommodate in our first flight out the door. The team’s goal is to find a way for everyone who is eligible and wants to participate to eventually get an opportunity. Until then, please hang in there and know that even these small flights are critical milestones that get us one step closer to the final release and we can’t do it without the community’s partnership and support. Here’s an overview of what’s going on and hopefully answers to questions you may have about this first flight.



What’s in Flight One?

The first MCC PC flight is an updated version of the build we brought to E3 earlier this month which includes the Halo: Reach campaign mission “Tip of the Spear.” And that’s it! Keep in mind that this is still work-in-progress content and is missing numerous features and is sure to have some rough edges. We have several known issues for this flight in particular including some intermittent audio issues and one or two instances where the build may even crash.



What are the goals for Flight One?

The primary goal of this first flight is to help the team validate the process and pipelines to get a build out to Insiders on Steam at a larger scale. A secondary goal will be to get player feedback on the current state of mouse and keyboard controls and how the game “feels” on PC. Lastly, this flight will include a broader range of PC hardware than what we’ve had access to thus far so we’re eager to see if any specific new issues arise related to things like drivers and different configurations.



Is this flight under NDA? Nope! Insiders who get access to the flight are permitted to stream and create content. This could change for future flights but the rules of engagement will always be specified in the flight invitation email.



How long does this flight last?

This first flight will begin today, June 28, and end on Monday, July 1.



How many people were chosen for this flight? How were they chosen?

This flight will include less than 1,000 people though final actual numbers will be a bit variable. Participants were chosen from eligible Halo Insiders (meaning they opted into PC flighting and included DXDIAG info, steam ID, etc..) primarily based on PC hardware configurations to ensure we have good variety.



How will I know if I’ve been selected?

Everyone who is selected to participate in this flight will receive two emails to the address they’ve registered with the Halo Insider program. The first email, titled “Halo Insider MCC Flight One – Invitation” will include some initial details and information followed by a second email, “Halo Insider MCC Flight One – Steam Key” which includes a unique key and instructions for installing the build. If you don’t get this email then we regret to say you weren’t selected for this first flight (but there will be more flights with more people added!).



My email address I registered with Halo Insider has changed / is inaccessible, etc…

Ok that’s not really a question but this is just a reminder that you can return and update your Halo Insider profile at any time. Make sure your email address is valid and you still have access or we can’t reach you! If your availability or PC specs change, please update your settings as it could impact your ability to be selected for future flights. And remember too that you can always opt-out at any time.



I didn’t get selected. Now what?

Hang tight! This is just the beginning. There will be more flights of Halo: Reach on PC (and Xbox) and we expect to grow the population and scope of content in successive flights. And remember we’ve got a long journey ahead – there will be flighting for Halo: CE, Halo 2, Halo 3, ODST, and Halo 4 all before they are launched on PC.



Anything else we should know?

Just that we’re excited to finally get this ball rolling and we appreciate everyone’s support and patience as the team has been working through the unique challenges of bringing Halo: Reach to PC to deliver the best experience possible for players. We will share an update following the conclusion of this flight to let you know how it went and what the results were. In the meantime, a massive June Development Update blog will be posted on Waypoint today (June 28) that will give another behind-the-scenes look at how development is going and address some of the ongoing questions we’re seeing across the community.



Thank you for your support and joining us on this journey!