Halo Infinite has replaced Anthem as the floor for failure

[Vertigo]

Remember people talking shit about Fallout 76? Remember when Anthem was the big embarrassment??

Well 76 has outperformed Halo Infinite. Outlived The Division 2 and Outriders. In fact it’s probably the only other premium priced live service game on console other than Destiny that does well. (I would include Forza Horizon and rainbow six siege up here as well). Hell, go see where 76 is on Windows store… it’s currently the top played game that’s not some smartphone dumpster fire.

You thought Fallout 76 was gonna be the whipping boy didn’t you? Anthem? Nope!

No, it’s Halo Infinite. Biggest flop story of the generation easily.

Anthem sold 5 million in its launch window. It actually generated revenue.

Halo was released on gamepass. Its pvp f2p. Do you think it made any money? Are the players there to assume they’re making money on battlepasses? Definitely not. Both died relatively quickly. And Anthem without pvp to keep its players engaged.

To be fair tho, both games went thru years of wasted development and resources. I would reckon Halo’s development hemorrhages a shit ton of resources and talent … I mean… look what happens to 343… mass exodus and restructure due to incompetence.

“Bu, bu, bu that 500 million rumor is just a rumor”

Nah, pretty sure it’s cost exponentially more at this point. Including marketing, outsourcing development to better and actual game devs, etc… and now the massive course correction and rebuilding of the game in Unreal. DISASTER of epic proportions.

Halo Infinite is now the floor. All live service games after it will be compared to it when looking at failure.

If Infinite keeps going… there is an argument to be made that Anthem could’ve also continued. I mean EA is still making more battlefield even tho it’s currently destined to die.

 

[Vertigo]

I got Dynamite Cop’s response already ready for you guys…

 

[BigMclargeHuge]

I'm still curious how it got such high reviews considering everyone seems disappointed in it now.

 

[Bryank75]

I'm still curious how it got such high reviews considering everyone seems disappointed in it now.

Dude... go read Gene Parks review at the Washington Post or the IGN review and try and tell me these were not completely fixed!!!

It's an utter disgrace and embarrassment on the industry.

 

[DonFerrari]

I'm still curious how it got such high reviews considering everyone seems disappointed in it now.

The SP is great and no one could have known about the content issues after launch.

OP, lol @ Destiny being premium priced. It’s literally free to play.

 

[DynamiteCop]

I'm still curious how it got such high reviews considering everyone seems disappointed in it now.

It's really simple, for all of its faults it's still a solid game at its core. The single player is great, albeit missing features which will be added on the 8th of November. The multiplayer is some of the best in the franchise it's simply lacking content.

 

[Sircaw]

It's really simple, for all of its faults it's still a solid game at its core. The single player is great, albeit missing features which will be added on the 8th of November. The multiplayer is some of the best in the franchise it's simply lacking content.

Do you think it deserves, a game of the year tag?>

 

[DynamiteCop]

Do you think it deserves, a game of the year tag?>

If it launched in a more complete state, yes. As it sits now no.

 

[bxrz]

Halo Infinite is still playable. Anthem is not

So no.

 

[ethomaz]

OP, lol @ Destiny being premium priced. It’s literally free to play.

I mean if you want to be locked to play very little and very old content without end gaming... yes it is F2P.
But people don't play Destiny 2 for that... you basically is required to buy the last year expansions to play Destiny 2... that means it cost you around $90 per year if you are already a Destiny 2 player that follow the updates... for newcomer it is probably around $120 the first year.

I should say it is very premium priced.

The fact Bungie fooled you guys saying Destiny 2 is F2P is really the issue here... it is basically a free 2 try game and not free to play (F2P should be a model where you can reach everything in the game, all content, since you have time and grind for it)... you can try the old part of it for free and so you choose to buy the game or not.

 

[Vertigo]

I mean if you want to be locked to play very little and very old content without end gaming... yes it is F2P.
But people don't play Destiny 2 for that... you basically is required to buy the last year expansions to play Destiny 2... that means it cost you around $90 per year if you are already a Destiny 2 player that follow the updates... for newcomer it is probably around $120 the first year.

I should say it is very premium priced.

The fact Bungie fooled you guys saying Destiny 2 is F2P is really the issue here... it is basically a free 2 try game and not free to play (F2P should be a model where you can reach everything in the game, all content, since you have time and grind for it)... you can try the old part of it for free and so you choose to buy the game or not.

It costs 100$ a year for any hardcore player. Not even strictly pvp is free. Trials is not: paywalled by latest expansion.

The the free version was good until they cut it all out because it at least had something. Now it’s just a launcher and a demo of its lamest content.

 

[ethomaz]

It costs 100$ a year for any hardcore player. Not even strictly pvp is free. Trials is not: paywalled by latest expansion.

The the free version was good until they cut it all out because it at least had something. Now it’s just a launcher and a demo of its lamest content.

Yeap... how anybody call it F2P is out of my mind because it is basically a Trial to make you buy the game (aka expansions/seasons).
Plus it is not an one time payment... it works like a subscription where you need to spend over the price of game per year... whatever a new Season/Expasion come you need to drop $30-40 (I think now is $40, no?).

IMO Destiny 2 is not Free 2 Play... it is a Trial model that allow you to play some old contente but if you want to experience the actual content and end gaming you need to subscribe to the paid model and it is very premium.

 

[Vertigo]

Yeap... how anybody call it F2P is out of my mind because it is basically a Trial to make you buy the game (aka expansions).

Drivebys only really. Maybe they assume the game just has a battlepass and that’s it. I mean it’s easy to tell who’s clueless when the arguments used are almost a decade old an obsolete.

Bungie is at fault tho. They need to do more for the free version and new players. It’s an issue that won’t be resolved for like two years.

You only really have those players that shell out 100$ a year…

 

[Hezekiah]

Nah, it made a loss and resources continue to be pumped into it.

File alongside Anthem and Avengers.

 

[DonFerrari]

I’ll never understand why Destiny fanboys get upset about rightfully labeling the game free to play. You can download the game and get access to a rotating list of content that currently has multiple strikes, multiple raids, a dungeon, DoE mode, gambit, and crucible PvP. Probably more I am forgetting. The game is free to play. It might be designed differently than some other free to play titles, but it is free to play. I know plenty of people who play the game without paying for shit, they just fire it up for mindless shooting or shitty PvP.

 

[Vertigo]

Yea it’s a sampler and launcher. And it was better before they cut out campaigns from it. Now which it has none. Witch Queen players weren’t f2p players en masse ya know. Like we have an idea of whom the active playerbase is.

That’s not what sustains the game . It’s hardcore players dropping for premium content. And still, pvp does indeed carry its own weight (trails is paywalled year to year).

When Witch Queen or a season drops those are paying customers. Like we sorta know that’s what sustains the game. If not simply based on raid numbers and end game trials engagement.

I’m not arguing whether the game gives substantial content for free. It does with a few weapons per season and usually something decent once a year but those players only really have free holiday events to look forward too… and that’s where I tune out no less.

 

[peter42O]

Personally, as someone who never played a Halo game before and had no attachment to the franchise, Halo Infinite campaign won me over to where it was my 2021 game of the year and granted, 2021 was a weak year at least for me but it stood out to me for one simple reason - never playing a Halo game before, Infinite made me a fan and im all in for future campaign expansions. Thought the story and characters along with the music, sound effects and voice acting were all superb while the combat/gameplay and graphics/art style was excellent. Granted, underwhelming visually when flying but on foot, I had no complaints.

As for the multi-player, the foundation in regards to combat/gameplay loop/structure is there which is the most important aspects. The obvious issue was the severe lack of content but im happy about that because it allowed them to finally move on from Bonnie Ross and others who I believe have been the reasons why 343 is always having issues. With the three people now being in charge of various aspects instead of it all being on only Ross, they should have a formula for success in 2023. Best of all, the main person that's in charge completely fixed Halo MCC to what it is now so if there is a person who can solve the content issues with the multi-player, it's definitely him.

When it comes to live service games, you don't need to be a massive success right away as there will always be new people jumping in for the first time while others can always return. A perfect example is Rainbow Six Siege. It was dead on arrival but yet, seven years later, it's still pretty big. 343 just needs to get their content in order and release it every quarter and they will be just fine. If 2023 ends up being the opposite of 2022, then the multi-player aspects and the game itself will be just fine.

 

[ChorizoPicozo]

20 Million Players.

 

[Aidendelaney95]

no one could have known about the content issues after launch.

No one but MS/343i, which they did and chose to not say anything and kept players on the edge waiting.

 

[Vertigo]

When it comes to live service games, you don't need to be a massive success right away as there will always be new people jumping in for the first time while others can always return. A perfect example is Rainbow Six Siege. It was dead on arrival but yet, seven years later, it's still pretty big. 343 just needs to get their content in order and release it every quarter and they will be just fine. If 2023 ends up being the opposite of 2022, then the multi-player aspects and the game itself will be just fine.

Siege has been around for a long time. From when these devs were going thru the growing pains of learning what works.

I do not think newer games can afford that.

They really have to come out of the gate firing on all cylinders and nailing the content pipeline. It’s gonna get harder moving forward.