So, i’ve been a serial lurker here for years. Played Halo since CE, all that jazz. (i’m not gonna dissect why the live service/black hole of content/general trash attitude surrounding the former issues, it’s been done better many times elsewhere)
What i’m noticing after this dripfeed update is that everyone for the most part (besides the usual -Yoink!- kissing the ring) is that we all agree: this game has struck gold with the gameplay but launched without even the bare minimum of content and with barely any improvements on the critical issues in the updates we have + the absolute minimum on the horizon for at least a year, if not more.
Listen - we all love this game and I think we all kind of agree that the potential for this game is far higher in a year or so. Many of us have already said we haven’t really picked it up in a while.
What i’m saying is: our words are not going to do anything to sway 343i; you can tell that already based on the hand-wringy responses about “give us time” and “we care about wellness.”
“Give us time:” we did, we hopped aboard this game in droves after all the delays and rode the wave until recently after the game dropped with core issues. At this point, if you needed to keep asking for more time, you should have delayed the game, you can’t keep asking for more time on a LIVE SERVICE GAME
“We care about wellness:” I think that, if true, that would be a really good sentiment and a respectable one. However, I don’t think that it is for a variety of reasons:
•There is a revolving door of the high level designers/team members leaving during this critical time, that’s undoubtedly not a good sign even if you factor in that people’s contracts end and that average industry lifespan of a single job is 2-4 years. This is NOT an average game - this is allegedly one of the flagship titles for the most hotly anticipated next gen consoles and allegedly would be a big thing to be a part of in terms of reputation for your job but also it probably as a live service game requires longitudinal support for more time.
•Read the reviews for 343i on Glassdoor guys - they don’t treat their team kindly, it appears. I recognize this is technically just word of mouth, but given the issues that Infinite has continued to have, i’m inclined to believe that where there is smoke, there is fire. Furthermore, this fits with an industry standard - cut costs by running the bare minimum corr people into the ground with inadequate support via temporary contractors, rather than pay more to get a proper team with enough resources.
So, what i’m saying is: many of us are leaving the game rn with plans to return at season 2, or later. Let’s all do this together, as many of us as possible
Why? Bc this is a free game. We have the power and we can hit them where they actually have to listen: their wallets. Let’s let ourselves get sucked into other stuff, stop buying stuff from the store (many of us already have stopped) and let them feel the pressure truly this time. We have the power to do so in our hands. They care what we do.
Hell, they even show it by giving premium content and early access to the big streamers/Youtubers to build hype - they know that it’s a big way we stay informed and that it’s how they can keep us, the fans, on side.
So, I think, with so many of us on the same page for the first time, we should collectively flex our power. Not with the histrionics of angry posting anymore - we should impact this where it’s gonna have the most weight. They can’t keep dripfeeding us if we are no longer here to be dripfed.
It makes me sad to say this because Halo is my absolute biggest/favorite game series of all time and has been since the start of the franchise but I think this is the best thing for it, now.