You cant denny that halo reach changes were partly to blame for the drop in numbers.
Maybe a group did change because Halo wasnt the fashion anymore, but Reach changes from Halo 3 where so radical that some people just droped halo reach.
And the changes in all the CoD are not as big in the gameplay compared to the changes.from Halo 3 to halo 4.
Of course it contributed, but its a roll on effect of a bunch of little things.
CoD explodes, people leave, but hardcore stay
Reach tries to adjust to get some defectors back but pisses off some hardcore in the process, CoD explodes more anyway
4 tries another method to get defectors back but still to no avail. Lose more hardcore.
i think 343 need to accept that Halo will never be number 1 anymore, but instead, like their parent company and the console their game resides on, make Halo the strongest number 2 around.
Halo 3's population hasn't grown since Reach and 4. So you guys are all whining for classic Halo but wont ho back and play it yourselves?
Halo's popularity was going to dwindle regardless. The only thing that can get Halo back its crown, is a surge in popularity of sci fi. Even then, Treyarch will find a sci fi angle to keep people in.