343 just doesn't seem to understand that the succes of Halo was never a specific niche. We have always had like 10 different communities making up the entire player base. We had the Slayer players, big team, competitive, forge, griffball, infection, party games, (couch) co-op/single player, lore fanatics and more. And all communities combined made the player base.
Infinite launched with content for basically two of those communities (basic social and competitive players) and didn't release new content fast enough even for only those two (and ignoring the state of that content for convenience sake). That already alienates like 80% of the player base. No wonder the numbers drop like that when people cant play the game the way they want to.
Sucks that 343 let your love for Halo dwindle out like they did for so many. Its insane to think of the Halo franchise 14 years ago and what it is since 343 took over.
Absolutely. I know a lot of Halo players and everyone is different in some way. Some are totally into MP, others into record-breaking solo runs, others have always been Firefight fans. And yet everyone has enjoyed it for many years and over many parts. It's not even as if you had the feeling that the community was divided. It was a colourful hustle and bustle like in the Star Wars cantina bar.
Halo has simply lost a lot of its sparkle. We always thought Firefight was pretty cool too. Pure MP is difficult when you get older, have a house, kids, a job and can only play infrequently. At some point you get the feeling that it's difficult to keep up. Co-operative MP modes are the perfect solution. We also enjoyed playing something like this a lot in Gears of War.
Unfortunately, Gears of War has also lost much of its old charm. We never played through the last part. It was full of bugs at launch. We lost progress several times. My husband finished it solo. I never saw the credits. It annoys me how recklessly Microsoft has driven so many big brands into the ground over the last few years. Why?
Each of the big ones has released some crap. Happens, okay. That's why I don't think Concord is such a bad thing. Yes, they've made a mess here. Next game please (if possible, not something that nobody ever asked for). Unfortunately, Microsoft is on a real roll. Ironically, the PC has been okay with some strategy games recently. It's just a shame that they drove the PC to the wall years ago with their Store and Gold. Strange timing ...
Halo has more or less always been part of the Xbox. How can they ruin it like that? Above all, it's no secret that it's easier to sell brands that already have a name than to have huge success with a new IP. And it just doesn't make sense. Okay, they' maybe become a publisher. But uh ... people want to buy something good, don't they? I've had the impression for some time that they could do with a change of management at Xbox.