2021 marks the 20th anniversary of the Halo series. Initially releasing on the original Xbox back in 2001, Halo quickly became Xbox's flagship series and swiftly brought the publisher into mainstream recognition. Over the years, the franchise has expanded across a multitude of games, culminating into Halo: The Master Chief Collection and as part of the 20 year anniversary, 343 Industries is intoducing new customization options for players to enjoy.
Since its initial release, 343 Industries has been periodically updating Halo: The Master Chief Collection with new content. This has ranged from updated versions of previous Halo installments, such as Halo 2 and Halo Reach, to new armor sets that can be worn during multiplayer, and many other new features. However, this upcoming update will provide customizable pieces of Spartan Armor that celebrate the franchise as a whole.
Over on the official Halo Twitter account, an announcement was made with regards to the 20th anniversary of the series that detailed all of the free content releasing today. This included customizable pieces of armor and armor sets that have never been included in any Halo game before. One of which being the Orion armor set for Halo 2 Anniversary. This armor hasn't been seen since the initial reveal of Halo: Combat Evolved back in 1999.
In addition, the 20th anniversary content update will include armor pieces, such as shoulder pads shaped like the original Xbox controller, or as it's coloquially known, the Duke controller. Back accessories like a plush toy that's shaped like a Grunt or a backpack that's themed after the original Xbox branding will also be included. All of which will be available for players to customize on various different games featured in The Master Chief Collection.
It's amazing to see just how far Halo has come. On top of being one of Xbox's most popular franchises, it's also one of its oldest. From the early 2000s onward, Halo has become synonymous with Xbox as a whole. This makes the series' 20th anniversary, along with the upcoming release of Halo Infinite, a momentous occasion.
Although, it will be interesting to see what the future holds for Halo Infinite once it finally releases. Xbox boasted that Halo Infinite will be a 10 year game, but it begs to question whether or not the publisher will manage to keep fans invested in a single game over the course of a decade. While the Halo series is beloved within the gaming community, that's still not an easy task by any means.
Source: Halo Waypoint