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343i teases there's "a new place and way to play" Halo: Master Chief Collection on the way

Expect changes to quit ban rules, too.

Halo: The Master Chief Collection developer 343 Industries is teasing "a new place and way to play" is on the way.

In its latest Halo Waypoint, the developer talked candidly about its "challenging challenges" - including a new seasonal challenge to unlock the Mister Chief helmet that's "been causing quite a bit of grief" - as well as outlining penalties for unsporting Spartans who quit mid-game.

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However, buried in the "Flighting Future" section of the latest Halo Waypoint update, 343i also detailed the next batch of test flights - "we have quite a bit of new content we are looking to get into your hands, but we are deciding what the right amount is and are still waiting to see what progress is made in the coming weeks" - and teases "maybe a new place and way to play".

Little else was given away, unfortunately, but we can expect to learn more later this month. For now, though, Halo fans are speculating that this may mean MCC is on its way to the Epic Games Store (thanks, VG24/7).

As for mid-match quitting and the penalties for doing so? Stating that the moral of the story is "don't quit, but if half of your team has then you won't be punished for doing so", the current ban ladder sees first offenders slapped with a one-minute ban, the second three minutes, the third five minutes, and the fourth offence will result in a ten-minute ban. Any additional offences will see you get a further ten-minute timeout.

Now the "First 50%" rule will ensure you don't get penalised if over half your team has already quit on you.

"The 'First 50%' means that if you are in a 4v4, that the first 2 players to quit on your team will receive a quit ban," 343i's "Postums" explained. "However, after at least 50% quit, you are free to quit without a ban. There is a caveat where if a player doesn't connect to the server and does not make it into the game, the automated quit ban service will not see them as ever being a part of the game. In that situation, the first 2 players to manually quit on that team will receive the ban."

And last but certainly not least, all participants getting involved between now and the end of the month will unlock the Black History nameplate in honour of Black History Month.

For the full details, head on over to Halo Waypoint.