Halo failed ‘at the finish line’

Microsoft Studios head Matt Booty talked about how Halo: Infinite failed to meet expectations, and how they plan to get it back on track.

Microsoft Studios lead Matt Booty spoke candidly about Halo: Infinite on a podcast, stating that the game didn’t succeed where it could have, and reiterating that there are plans to salvage it.

Appearing on the Friends-Per-Second podcast (thanks, GameSpot!), Booty mentioned how Halo: Infinite’s launch was stellar — the game reached approximately 20 million players. However, the game eventually started to drop off in popularity, with players citing a lack of interesting content updates.

“These days, with a game like Halo Infinite, shipping the game is just the beginning. There has got to be a plan for content sustain; there has got to be a plan for regular continuing engagement. And we just fell short of the plan on that,” Booty said on the podcast.

“Thank you to the players for sticking with us through this. We know there is way more demand and there is so much more we could be delivering. That is our focus right now... on quality of life for the game and getting on a regular cadence of content, getting back to that,” he added.

Halo Infinite’s Forge mode aims to bring back a lot of players, as it’s one of the most popular features in the series. Picture: 343 Industries

To respond to the many complaints from players, 343 Industries, the developer behind Halo: Infinite, has “retrenched” in their offices and is working on a more effective pipeline to move content towards players.

Examples of these complaints can be found everywhere on social media. Notable streamer moistcri1kal has cited 343 as the “worst developer” when it comes to game quality and updates, and players took 343 to task over the now-cancelled plans for split-screen co-op — something 343 claimed wasn’t possible. Despite that statement, players found a way to glitch it into existence.

To right the ship, 343 has a few content updates in the works. The first of which, the Winter Update, will feature campaign co-op, more maps, the Forge beta (which allows players to create their own levels,) and a new battle pass. Beyond that, Season 3 is confirmed to launch in March of next year.

Written by Junior Miyai on behalf of GLHF.