Can Master Chief save the Chinese Xbox One? Halo is finally coming to China

In the months since the Xbox One’s China launch last fall, the console has had a lot of problems. But by far the most important is that the game console doesn’t really have any good games. It certainly doesn’t have any of those exclusive, flagship titles like Halo that have helped Microsoft sell previous Xbox consoles in other markets.

But could there be light at the end of the tunnel on that front? In a public letter to gamers that addresses a number of complaints about the Chinese Xbox One, Microsoft’s Xbox China CEO Xie Enwei offers up a good and rather surprising piece of news for Chinese Xbox fans:

We’re currently putting great effort into bringing Halo: The Master Chief Collection to China, and we’ve already made obvious progress on that front. We’ll share new information on that with everyone as soon as possible.

Xie also mentions that Microsoft is working on bringing Peggle 2, Child of Light, and a couple of Kinect games to the Chinese system, but those are minor attractions. Halo is the big gun.

Historically speaking, Halo games have been Microsoft’s bread and butter. In fact, it’s no stretch to say that Microsoft’s first foray into console gaming might have failed were it not for the Xbox-exclusive sci-fi shooter games. Halo and Halo 2 were the best-selling games on its original Xbox by quite a wide margin. Halo 3 was the best-selling game on the Xbox 360 (I’m not counting Kinect Adventures as that came bundled with many consoles). And Halo: The Master Chief Collection is one of the best-selling games so far on the Xbox One overseas. There can be no denying: Halo games sell Xboxes.

Halo: The Master Chief Collection has come in for a bit of criticism in other markets, but it could be exactly what Microsoft needs to get its console rolling in China. Since the bundle includes four full games, from Halo: Combat Evolved through Halo 4, it represents a great value for Chinese gamers. And it will also let them easily start at the beginning of the Halo story.

Chinese gamers are all about multiplayer, though, and Halo: The Master Chief Collection may be in a good place on that front, too. Although it doesn’t feature the mouse-and-keyboard controls most Chinese FPS gamers are used to, it is closer to the frenetic, no-scopes-needed feel of China’s favorite PC shooters than many other console shooter games. China’s CrossFire addicts, I suspect, will feel much more at home in a round of Halo 2 than they do in Call of Duty.

Can the Master Chief actually sell systems in China? We’ll have to wait and see. There’s no guarantee that the game will get regulatory approval to launch in China at all, but if it does, this could be Microsoft’s best hope at getting its game console into Chinese living rooms.

See: China will allow game consoles to be made and sold nationwide, but don’t get excited