‘Halo 2’ Campaign In ‘Master Chief Collection’ Might Not Be 1080p

343 Industries Franchise Director Frank O’Connor addressed rumors Tuesday that not all of Halo: The Master Chief Collection will be 1080p on the Xbox One. Pixel counters were quick to analyze the screenshots of Halo 2 Anniversary Edition after E3 2014 and noticed that the images weren’t meeting the resolution claims. However, O’Connor explained that there’s a reason for that, and it won’t affect multiplayer.

The Halo: The Master Chief Collection multiplayer will run at 1080p and 60 frames per second (fps), according to a post from O’Connor (aka “Stinkles”) at NeoGAF. This includes every multiplayer map and mode from Halo 2 and Halo 2 Anniversary, plus the original Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary as well as Halo 3 and Halo 4.

However, that may not be the case for the campaign in Halo 2. O’Connor says, “There’s a chance that [Halo 2] Anniversary campaign could run at a different resolution to accommodate the second frame buffer. But the intent is to overcome that hurdle.”

O’Connor is referring to the ability to switch between the Halo 2 graphics from the original Xbox and the upgraded HD Anniversary graphics on the fly when he mentions the “second frame buffer.” The game is essentially running two graphics engines at the same time. Rendering and storing the images for both versions at 1080p simultaneously is the current challenge facing 343 Industries.

The Halo Franchise Director was also quick to point out that the images released for the newest Anniversary edition of the series are from relatively early work in progress screenshots.

“We’ll keep showing progress throughout the year using a process we call ‘game development,'” he wryly added.

Legendary guitarist Steve Vai was also confirmed to return to help redo the music for Halo 2 Anniversary. He originally worked with then Bungie composers Martin O’Donnell and Michael Salvatori on many of the songs from the game, including the the popular “Reclaimer” track.

As for the confusion on what is and isn’t 1080p in Halo: The Master Chief Collection, O’Connor explained that, “There was no simple way to clarify that in our two minutes on stage at E3, and we followed up immediately.”

“It’s a VERY complex and large package of tech and content and as you’ve seen, it’s been challenging to message it all accurately and clearly,” he continued. “This post and dozens of interviews are part of that process.”

What do you think? Would you rather 343 Industries ditch switching to the original Halo 2 graphics to ensure 1080p for the campaign? Or is it not that big of a deal if it doesn’t reach what is considered the benchmark resolution for graphics on the PS4 and Xbox One?

Halo: The Master Chief Collection is currently set for release to the Xbox One on Nov. 11, 2014. Those hoping for a PC release will probably have to wait a while, if it happens at all.