343 studio head Dan Ayoub has confirmed that Halo: The Master Chief Collection will have a day one content update that is 20GB. Simple was too much content to fit on a single dual layer Blu-ray disc. (The usable space on a dual layer Blu-ray disc in the Xbox One is about 45GB.)

“The update is necessary in order to give Halo fans the best possible experience and no compromise the features of the collection.”, according to Ayoub. While Ayoub does knowledge that the update is large, he went on to add, “we weren’t about to cut corners to save disc space. This ensures that you are getting ever bit of Halo goodness we can fit in.”

Halo: The Master Chief Collection has gone gold, but 343 is working on the tuning and tweaking in order to optimize the online experience to make sure that they can ensure a smooth multiplayer launch. Right now the plan is for the work to continue right up till the actual release of the game.

As far as downloading the update goes, those that pre-order the digital version will pre-load not only the game itself, but the content update as well. This way those that pre-ordered the digital version will be able to play as soon as the game launches. Everyone else who purchases the physical copy of the game will have to endure the 20GB content update.

The actual release date has changes in some territories with most everyone being able to pickup the game on November 11th from their favorite retailer. Those in Belgium will have to wait till November 12th, France will have to wait till November 13th, and those in Japan will have wait till November 13th.