Halo Infinite’s free-to-play multiplayer has now been available for over a week and whether or not it’s successful depends on who is answering the question. That’s because, despiteHalo Infinitehaving a robust initial player base and positive gameplay impressions, it’s also being heavily criticized for its live service progression and monetization. NowHalo Infiniteplayers have begun taking sides, drawing lines in the sand, and dividing vocal elements of the FPS' community between attacking or defending the game.
Through recently, theHalo Infinitecommunity has largely been in agreement. The game itself is quite fun to play, but its live service progression and monetizations systems need work. However, that’s recently changed. The sale of a pricey color scheme for one ofHalo Infinite’s premium armor sets, as well as frustrations with the temporary Fracture: Tenrai battle pass, have started a wave of calls for boycotts and more serious criticism ofHalo Infinite. That, in turn, led to think pieces both attacking and defending the game. Suddenly, the game’s community is divided.
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The argument againstHalo Infiniteis rooted in frustration over its live service progression systems and monetization. 343 has already made changes toHalo Infinite’s battle pass, with more changes planned. But criticism is growing more specific. Players want more customization to be freely available or acquirable, they dislike that everything has been monetized includingbasic color schemes, and they dislike how unlocking content via battle passes is slow and tedious. Some players even go so far as calling its monetization exploitative and suggesting a boycott.
The argument in favor ofHalo Infiniteis more general, acknowledging that while the progression andmonetization inHalo Infinitedeserve criticism, it’s still free-to-play and fun. A growing number of players even considerHalo Infiniteone of the best multiplayer shooters in years and are dismissive of the monetization entirely, as it doesn’t impact their gameplay experience.
These two “sides” remain a vocal minority of the community, of course. Themajority ofHalo Infiniteplayers are simply playing the game, heading to social media to talk about their sweet double kill or to ask for a dedicated playlist for their favorite game mode. In that regard, 343 has to be confident that it’s doing something right. There are still a lot of players logging intoHalo Infiniteevery day.
In some ways, the complicated discourse surroundingHalo Infinitecan be seen as a positive. Successful live service games court controversy. It’s all but an inevitability in an era of strong opinions with such a large online community. That discourse can grow exhausting, though, without a meaningful response from developers. Regardless of its planned direction,343 Industrieshas its work cut out for itself.
Halo Infiniteis available now on PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
