Release on other distributors besides Windows 10

Games Halo Infinite
1

343i/Microsoft, I am very thankful that you guys will ensure that the next Halo is coming to PC. However, I am extremely disappointed that a very obvious mistake is again being repeated, contrary to all common sense. I speak of the decision to make Halo Infinite a Windows 10-only Windows Store exclusive. I can confidentially state that this decision alone, regardless of how good the actual final game comes out to be, will absolutely kill the PC player population, and I am certain that your analytics department, if they aren’t stuffed to the brim with yes-men, will concur with my analysis.

Why am I so confident that any release on the Windows storefront will not reach sufficient sales to retain a good playerbase?

3 reasons:

A) 47% of all PCs running Windows still run Windows 7.

By gating Halo: Infinite behind Windows 10 right off the bat you are effectively losing half your customer base. Any sane marketing/analytics department knows that to ensure a successful launch on PC, the requirements listed must not target the extreme high-end of gamers, for the vast majority are very slow to upgrade.

B) Steam controls half to 70% of the PC market for downloading games

I get that you guys want the Windows Store to be a success. However, I have to ask bluntly: how much did Halo Wars 2 sell, as the only example thus far of a Halo game being sold exclusively through the Windows Store thus far? I can bet anything that it was below expectations. In this day and age, to not release your game on Steam is to be satisfied with lower sales figures, lower player retention, and a lower player population. But what about Origin and Blizzard’s app, you might ask? Both are laughable. Blizzard’s app needs free to play games to drive players there, from Heroes of the Storm, to Starcraft 2, to Hearthstone, to even Warcraft (up to level 20 and also free weekends like right now). Is Microsoft going to make Halo: Infinite a F2P title? I doubt it. Meanwhile, Origin over the past few years has been throwing out free games, desperate to attract more players, and their original games like Mass Effect 1+2, Dragon Age origins, etc. are still on Steam. And these are big fish, and they can’t even put up a sizeable challenge to Steam’s dominance. Both EA and Activision/Blizzard have been in the PC business for decades while Microsoft is only recently starting to come back.

C) The current state of Halo 5: Forge on PC is a window to the future of Halo Infinite’s success (or lack thereof)
If the current decision to have Halo Infinite be Windows 10-only, Windows Store only is not reversed, I ask for those concerned to please take a look at Halo 5: Forge’s playerbase, for a look at what will likely result. Less than 100 (I’m being generous, it’s more like less than 50) players at any given time, with only maybe 5 servers going on during peak and 1-3 servers during downtime. Despite having all the features of Halo 5: Forge, despite having all the gameplay of Halo 5 multiplayer, despite having a server browser, this game is just plain unpopular, for it is gated behind Windows 10 and the Windows Storefront. And it’s FREE. Now imagine charging 50-60 bucks for the Halo Infinite experience. Yeah, no.

Please, a plea from a desperate Halo fan wanting to see Halo Infinite succeed on PC: don’t repeat the same mistakes as before. (I didn’t even go into the Halo 2 Vista debacle).

2

True story, good post

3

I totally agree.
But on t he Windows part, from a gamer’s point of view the more platform the better, but because Win7 and Win10 or even the Win8 may have differences that may impact how the game is ported, and sometimes it’s hard to port to different platforms and too much trouble for developers (don’t quote me on this…)
In the end, it’s probably decision by Microsoft not 343 (I know 343 is directly under Microsoft, but what I meant it’s not up to the game studio, but the higher up to decide this, and I am going to explain). Since there are 47% of people still using Windows 7, Microsoft higher ups may think they can limit the release on Windows 10 to make these people switch (again don’t quote me, but I think it’s possible). Whether this is a good decision or not I’m not sure, and it probably depend on where the company stands, whether they want more people using Windows 10 or they want more people to play Halo. Personally I don’t think it’s good to limit to only Windows 10.

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> 2533275015292603;3:
> Microsoft higher ups may think they can limit the release on Windows 10 to make these people switch

I’m pretty sure that’s exactly their reasoning. And it’s not going to work since the same thing was done in the past with Games for Windows Live and Halo 2 Vista. They’re repeating the same mistakes. I don’t want the resulting low sales being used to justify a total abandonment of PC as a platform but if Microsoft/343i don’t get their act together it’s what’s going to happen.

5

No thanks. Steam needs a competitor or else they’ll continue being lazy with their platform. I’d rather see Microsoft succeed with their store to force Valve to finally fix their own platform.

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> 2533274875705074;1:
> take a look at Halo 5: Forge’s playerbase, for a look at what will likely result. Less than 100 (I’m being generous, it’s more like less than 50) players at any given time, with only maybe 5 servers going on during peak and 1-3 servers during downtime. Despite having all the features of Halo 5: Forge, despite having all the gameplay of Halo 5 multiplayer, despite having a server browser, this game is just plain unpopular, for it is gated behind Windows 10 and the Windows Storefront. And it’s FREE. Now imagine charging 50-60 bucks for the Halo Infinite experience. Yeah, no.

Just FYI, Halo 5. Forge wasn’t meant to be a game to attract players. It was always going to be an alternative way for people to create maps (and probably just to test out the main parts of creating a PC game). No sane person would ever have expected it to attract any kind of population. It’s just not comparable to a full game release.

Aside from that, I can agree that Infinite would in all likelihood be better off if it was published on Steam, and was available on Windows 7. But good luck trying to get Microsoft to not push Windows 10.

> 2533274820698418;5:
> No thanks. Steam needs a competitor or else they’ll continue being lazy with their platform. I’d rather see Microsoft succeed with their store to force Valve to finally fix their own platform.

I agree. I think all PC gamers should be terrified of Valve’s monopoly, but at the same time, they’re incredibly difficult to challenge. As long as people can effortlessly buy and play games on their platform of choice, there’s little incentive for them to try other platforms. You really need a large library of games that people want to play to have any chance of success. Even if Halo Infinite was the next big thing, by itself it wouldn’t shake Valve’s monopoly.

7

> 2533274875705074;4:
> > 2533275015292603;3:
> > Microsoft higher ups may think they can limit the release on Windows 10 to make these people switch
>
> I’m pretty sure that’s exactly their reasoning. And it’s not going to work since the same thing was done in the past with Games for Windows Live and Halo 2 Vista. They’re repeating the same mistakes. I don’t want the resulting low sales being used to justify a total abandonment of PC as a platform but if Microsoft/343i don’t get their act together it’s what’s going to happen.

It’s true, but compare the 2 systems, Windows 10 is pretty ok, and Vista was a nightmare, though it will not make the difference, I’m with you on this.

8

I agree, I think releasing on Steam, having some steam friends list integration and making sure it runs on Windows 7 is a pretty big deal for casting the widest net possible in terms of attracting PC players.

Anecdotally i’ve been playing Sea of Thieves lately and while the Xbox App / Microsoft Store combo does WORK, it is a massive pain getting people who normally use steam (and these are not dumb people) to use the service, especially people who’ve never had an xbox before - they just don’t get the whole party, friends list join system, the UI, or the fact that you manage/buy your games on the Microsoft Store App rather than in the Xbox App. Relying on Windows notifications to receive invites to join session was also hit and miss.

Ok partly it’s a natural resistance to any kind of change and it’s frustrating as it does work if you follow a few steps, but by releasing on Steam it would be so simple for your average gamer to play Infinite and that’s what’s important - to be familiar and prominent.

I think it also really devalues Microsoft’s big AAA games when the Microsoft Store App gaming page is cluttered with -Yoink- mobile slot machine games, in regards to how it’s presented.

They keep talking about focussing on PC gaming The groundwork has been done with getting games actually onto PC with Play Anywhere, and as Xbox Arch and typical PC Arch slowly converge, but there’s a lot to be done in the presentation and ease of use departments.