Replay System + Steam + Crossplay[Optional for console players] = Holy water
I highly doubt any of those besides replays are going to happen.
Replay system is a toss up because we don’t know how difficult it is to implement at this point.
Steam is plausible and should be done to bolster the PC playerbase numbers, release it on Steam as a UWA so it plays nice against those that buy it on Win 10 for the play anywhere feature.
Crossplay isn’t something I think they should even bother with because the resources to enable this isn’t worth it considering the console players would be devastated match after match.
All in all though, the game releasing on Steam would not be a bad idea, but then Xbox would have to make sure and have all their games on Steam as UWAs (to prevent modding/cheating) but have the Steam version not be Play Anywhere to incentivize the Xbox platform.
Note: I say that all Xbox games should be released on Steam so as not to run into the issue where they fragment some Xbox games on Win 10 only (Gears 4, Forza Horizon 3, ReCore) and some being (for whatever reason) ok to release on the Win 10 store and Steam (Quantum Break and now Halo Wars 2).
I think the only thing that might happen are replays.
> Q: Is there a chance that PC and Xbox One version of HW2 will get fused together in the future (Cross-play)?
>
> A: We do not have plans to implement cross-play between PC and Xbox.
Don’t have any plans doesn’t mean it will never happen. And I said “Optional for console players” so they can toggle an option whenever they want to play against PC players. That’s just my opinion.
Steam SHOULD be done yes, however they do take a 30%ish cut from every product sold. Personally I think they would make more money this way, even with the cut due to the potential of a much larger audience. All they’d have to do is do what Ubisoft does, allow the purchase through steam but the game still opens through the Windows store/Halo App.
I’d still buy my games through the Windows store to support the developers, just like i do with EA Games on Origin and Ubisoft games on Uplay, but this would get millions of more gamers into the series. Even if they keep the DX12 requirements(which they should) this would expand the audience by a large amount.
Fix the bugs and balance the game?
Have connected rewards between halo 5 and hw2. For example destroying 20 bases as Atriox as your leader will give you an Atriox themed emblem for h5. And in halo 5 call in 20 warthogs in warzone and it will give you a warthog themed blitz card pack in hw2. I hope 343 is seeing this because I’ve been wanting this from the beginning.
on PC just release on steam will help and I gladely to rebuy it again just because I dont like overly restrict folder of windows store… not sure about console but console multiplayer usually stronger than PC if not consider Moba gerne.
Other option is workshop and mod support similar to Halo5 Forge.