A brand-new map for Halo 3 arrived in Halo: The Master Chief Collection as part of the game's Season 6 update. Players have known for some time that 343 Industries was testing adding new maps to the 2007 title, but this is the first time that a map from Halo Online has been made officially available in another Halo game, paving the way for even more content formerly unique to the free-to-play title in Halo: The Master Chief Collection.
While Halo: The Master Chief Collection had a somewhat rocky launch in 2014, 343 Industries and Microsoft have regularly updated the game to ensure it lives up to the quality expected of the series. Extra games have been added, such as Halo 3: ODST and Halo: Reach, along with several requested features. One of the most important updates coming to the MCC is a custom game browser, which will allow players to find custom games that other players are hosting, as was included in Halo 5: Guardians, but new skins, modes, and even maps have shown that almost nothing seems to be off the table for future updates.
Halo 3's new map, Waterfall, has now arrived in Halo: The Master Chief Collection's Season 6 update, which also adds armor and cosmetics inspired by arcade-exclusive Halo: Fireteam Raven. 343 Industries announces that Waterfall is available to play for the first time in Halo 3, making it the first new multiplayer map to officially hit the game since 2009's Mythic II Map Pack. Halo Online was a canceled free-to-play version of Halo 3 that was later a global hit thanks to the modding community. Because Halo Online was built on a version of the Halo 3 engine, 343 was able to port Waterfall to The Master Chief Collection, with another, Edge, still on the way.
As well as continuing to update Halo: The Master Chief Collection, the studio is also hard at work on the upcoming Halo Infinite. The game was originally meant to launch in November alongside the Xbox Series X/S but was ultimately delayed following steep criticisms of its visuals during its official gameplay reveal. Over the last few months, 343 Industries has been detailing more features that players can expect to see when it launches. This includes dynamic weather, a day/night cycle, biomes, and an extensive graphical overhaul that has so far impressed in screenshots.
Considering how poorly Halo: The Master Chief Collection was received at launch, 343 has done an excellent job of improving the experience and adding extra content. The addition of Waterfall to Halo 3 will give players the chance to try out a Halo map that most have never had access to before, and it's likely just the beginning of new substantial content coming the MCC if the new map plays well.
Halo: The Master Chief Collection is available on Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, and PC.
Source: 343 Industries