Halo Infinite has reached an incredible 20 million player count in just over one month. The mindboggling number was confirmed by Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella during the company’s latest financial call. That makes Halo Infinite the biggest launch in franchise history. It also makes it the biggest Halo game in terms of players in the history of the franchise. It took Halo 3, the best-selling game in the series, 5 years to reach 14.5 million sales. Although the landscape is completely different now. Halo Infinite’s multiplayer is free-to-play and the campaign is available to all Game Pass subscribers. In terms of engagement and total players, Halo Infinite is the new peak of the franchise.
The numbers for Halo Infinite show how Microsoft has changed the way it measures success for its games and consoles. No longer does the company point to sales of a game as a measurement of success. Since the introduction of Game Pass, engagement has become the barometer for the company. After all, it would be virtually impossible for Halo Infinite to have achieved 20 million players in one month through traditional sales alone.
Although more players than ever have been able to check out the latest Halo game, not all fans of the franchise are happy with the direction of Halo Infinite. Long time fans of the franchise have complained about the game’s free-to-play model for the multiplayer. Halo Infinite players are able to buy skins and other cosmetics for their Spartans in the multiplayer mode. However, the quality and value of the cosmetics have been points of contention. An entire armor set in Infinite can cost $20, a price which is excessive for fans who are used to paying $60 for their entire Halo game. 343 Industries has promised to listen to players and improve both the game and the monetized offerings.
With the massive player base that Halo Infinite has, it looks like the developer has time on its side to get things right. Unlike some other 2021 AAA shooters.