The exclusive in-game items need to stay exclusive

Games Halo Infinite
1

Disclaimer: I completely sympathize with those of you who live in countries that aren’t participating in the Halo Infinite promotions, and hope 343 can figure out a way to give y’all an opportunity to get the items. I’m not at all trying to say that you should be actively excluded from this.

I have no confidence that this plea will have any impact on Infinite, but I figure it’s worth a try. Please keep these promotional armor/weapon/vehicle coatings, emblems, and weapon trinkets exclusive. The Monster Energy promotion here in the States has been bizarre, but I’ve had a lot of fun doing Meijer/Kroger runs to help out friends who want the stuff. I’d hate to see that all go to waste a few months after the game’s release. This shouldn’t be a concern, but after what happened with Helioskrill in Halo 5, I’m just a little worried.

2

From what I heard, at least from a couple sources on youtube, that the promotional items will be available 3 months after the games come out. In that same breath, I both like and dislike this idea. I like it because some people have actually come together to share their codes in order to attain them. Hell, the Monster Assault Rifle coating was given to me, completely unprompted by somebody who didn’t have to, and I’ve shared a few of my nabisco codes to pay it forward. On the other hand, I’ve seen people on ebay and such selling these codes at grossly inflated prices to get like 20 dollars for like the Sidekick, and even codes for the BR, which is dumb because that info is freely distributed online.

3

Don’t care. It would’ve been revolutionary and commendable to tie these exclusives to something healthy like salad and green tea lol.

4

> 2535467341363106;3:
> Don’t care. It would’ve been revolutionary and commendable to tie these exclusives to something healthy like salad and green tea lol.

Why are people are suddenly making an issue about these products being unhealthy? Halo marketing has been tied to junk food/drinks since forever.

5

> 2535418288909351;4:
> > 2535467341363106;3:
> > Don’t care. It would’ve been revolutionary and commendable to tie these exclusives to something healthy like salad and green tea lol.
>
> Why are people are suddenly making an issue about these products being unhealthy? Halo marketing has been tied to junk food/drinks since forever.

There’s no time like the present to speak up for better lifestyle choices. If a gamer wants to advocate for a game dev to support healthier products is it really so terrible that you feel the need to call them out for it as though they’re breaking a long-standing tradition?

6

> 2533274803493024;5:
> > 2535418288909351;4:
> > > 2535467341363106;3:
> > > Don’t care. It would’ve been revolutionary and commendable to tie these exclusives to something healthy like salad and green tea lol.
> >
> > Why are people are suddenly making an issue about these products being unhealthy? Halo marketing has been tied to junk food/drinks since forever.
>
> There’s no time like the present to speak up for better lifestyle choices. If a gamer wants to advocate for a game dev to support healthier products is it really so terrible that you feel the need to call them out for it as though they’re breaking a long-standing tradition?

? I never called them out specifically. I’ve seen a few tweets about the subject as well, and it just seems like people are creating an outrage over something that is a total non-issue. Would it be wise from a health perspective to tie marketing to leaner products? Absolutely. Do they sell nearly as well as junk food? Definitely not.

7

I think its also getting more attention due to the perceived importance of these particular promotions.

I haven’t gone for special halo promotions before, but now it seems have to if i want paint schemes I’ve had in previous titles. So now I care more about what the promotions are.

Or well I would if this whole system hadn’t turned me off the game entirely.

8

Respectfully, I’ve got to full-stop disagree with OP on this. I understand and can empathize with having put in a lot of time, energy, effort, and cash for exclusive promotional in-game material; Seriously, I know whereof I speak on this. Back in 2012, I purchased the LE Halo 4 console, as well as preordering and purchasing the LE edition of the game itself through GameStop, all for the exclusive in-game swag and the bragging rights of having it. I was all-in on the concept that by having the exclusive stuff, my online clout would bolster and I’d be appropriately heralded as a cool guy by anyone I brushed shoulders with in MP. I had FOTUS, I had PRIME, I had all the cool stuff and nobody else who didn’t pour obscene amounts of dough towards Halo 4 did or ever would. To be totally clear, I’m not accusing OP of this attitude, I’m just admitting that it was a definite part of why I did that back then, and I’m definitely not proud of it.

I was completely livid when the GOTY and MCC versions of H4 granted all my “exclusive” swag that I had paid so much for to literally everyone else. As far as I was concerned, 343i had sold me and everyone else who went in for the exclusive stuff a false bill of goods by advertising it as exclusive and limited. It seriously set me off for a time despite, ironically, the fact that most of the exclusive in-game stuff I’d paid so much for truthfully struck me as pretty visually gaudy and dumb (more power to you if you like FOTUS, I think it looks really stupid and can’t refrain from facepalming, hard, when I remember how much trouble I went to to get it).

Eventually, though, I kind of just came to terms with the fact that “exclusive” and “premier” preorder marketing schemes are just incredibly vapid and transparently gross. For me, it’s a bit of a “fool me once,” situation. I was once taken in by the promise that I’d get exclusive swag and bragging rights for my Halo experience if I just paid up ahead of time. Of course, I shouldn’t have been surprised when 343i took the same “exclusive,” content and then sold it again later down the road as incentives to push other iterations of the game. Infinite’s marketing may or may not be different, in the end, but I’m not about to go and put a bunch of time and money into trying to get the exclusive swag.

I also find it more than a little gross that 343i is encouraging people to make extraneous grocery runs and consume copious and excessive amounts of objectively unhealthy foodstuffs during an ongoing global pandemic, all for a game that isn’t even ready on time for the promotions being pushed.

In any event, I’m ultimately happy that all players who like the H4 content I paid so much for can enjoy and use it how they want. With Infinite, I think that sentiment should be, if anything, more true. Locking things like color shaders behind promotional purchases for third party marketing partners of 343i is one of the grossest implementations of cross-promotional game marketing I can ever remember, and this is a world where we get perennial renewals and expansions on Doritos and Dew COD promos. If the skins you unlock from participating are yours forever, I’ll at least be glad that 343i didn’t lie to you about it. But especially given the changes that appear to be coming down the pipe for Halo’s customization with Infinite, I’ll be completely exasperated with 343i in three years if I can’t rock some orange and brown Mjolnir because I didn’t buy a Kit Kat in 2020.

9

> 2535418288909351;6:
> > 2533274803493024;5:
> > > 2535418288909351;4:
> > > > 2535467341363106;3:
> > > > Don’t care. It would’ve been revolutionary and commendable to tie these exclusives to something healthy like salad and green tea lol.
> > >
> > > Why are people are suddenly making an issue about these products being unhealthy? Halo marketing has been tied to junk food/drinks since forever.
> >
> > There’s no time like the present to speak up for better lifestyle choices. If a gamer wants to advocate for a game dev to support healthier products is it really so terrible that you feel the need to call them out for it as though they’re breaking a long-standing tradition?
>
> ? I never called them out specifically. I’ve seen a few tweets about the subject as well, and it just seems like people are creating an outrage over something that is a total non-issue. Would it be wise from a health perspective to tie marketing to leaner products? Absolutely. Do they sell nearly as well as junk food? Definitely not.

No worries mate. I agree that selling junk in cans is way easier and has a long-standing tradition like Mntn Dew, Dorritos, Gamer Fuel, Monster, Rockstar, …(sadly).

Imagine this:

  • 343 creates an incentive (an event like that community paintings thingy) to post some Halo themed healthy food (e.g Covenant salad with Grunt potatoes or something funny like that). - Some people find fun in designing and hopefully eating these creations and change their eating habits.I don’t know who exactly created that idea, but I got my initial motivation to do regular exercise while playing StarCraft II. During a multiplayer match, there were some conditions which triggered a workout:
  • Getting supply blocked: 10 jumping-jacks - Getting rushed/defeated by some dumb early game cheese, which could’ve been countered easily if scouted: 10 push-ups - Etc. you get the idea.A more hardcore version would be to tie in-game deaths in From Software titles to workouts :slight_smile:
10

Disagree 100%.

11

> 2533274800772611;10:
> Disagree 100%.

Me too, locking off exclusives isn’t very consumer friendly. I see it as a form of gate-keeping people from content they should have access to. I think the timed exclusivity is a nice middle ground. The people that want it to be exclusive get that for a portion of the game’s lifecycle, and then others can have access to the items.

I’d like it if everyone that played a game had access to getting/earning the same content irrelevant of when they started and how much external factors they have access to.

> 2535418288909351;6:
> > 2533274803493024;5:
> > > 2535418288909351;4:
> > > > 2535467341363106;3:
> > > > Don’t care. It would’ve been revolutionary and commendable to tie these exclusives to something healthy like salad and green tea lol.
>
> ? I never called them out specifically. I’ve seen a few tweets about the subject as well, and it just seems like people are creating an outrage over something that is a total non-issue. Would it be wise from a health perspective to tie marketing to leaner products? Absolutely. Do they sell nearly as well as junk food? Definitely not.

Great points, I’m sure the unhealthy products are indeed more profitable.

12

I think the only exclusive gear I’d be ok with is something like they did with Halo 5 for beating MCC on the hardest mode (which later on 343 have that armour to everyone…:roll_eyes:) I’m ok with that because, I just am lol

…but I don’t want any armour or weapon skin or whatever to be locked behind buying x product or only being able to obtain by paying cash. I also don’t want any time exclusive stuff either. Like you have to participate in this event for three weeks to get it and if you don’t you can’t get it. I HATE that garbage too. Not everyone can play every bloody day, but that doesn’t make me less of a fan or not deserve to be able to get x,y or z.

I just want to be able to get everything by just playing the game… but since it’s a free to play game, I highly doubt that will happen :pensive::unamused: I have a bad feeling about this free to play, 10 year model that they’re doing.

13

> 2535411993815954;1:
> **Disclaimer: I completely sympathize with those of you who live in countries that aren’t participating in the Halo Infinite promotions, and hope 343 can figure out a way to give y’all an opportunity to get the items. I’m not at all trying to say that you should be actively excluded from this.**I have no confidence that this plea will have any impact on Infinite, but I figure it’s worth a try. Please keep these promotional armor/weapon/vehicle coatings, emblems, and weapon trinkets exclusive. The Monster Energy promotion here in the States has been bizarre, but I’ve had a lot of fun doing Meijer/Kroger runs to help out friends who want the stuff. I’d hate to see that all go to waste a few months after the game’s release. This shouldn’t be a concern, but after what happened with Helioskrill in Halo 5, I’m just a little worried.

Lepidus - Check your messages.

14

Exclusivity of certain items is not something I really like. I’d like to be able to just unlock everything by playing the game.

15

> 2533274800772611;10:
> Disagree 100%.

Honestly buying Monster Energy and Chips Ahoy for armor isnt that bad unless you eat it all in one sitting ofc

16

Nah, I disagree. The items should be exclusive for a limited time. I get that you put a lot of time getting these code for your friends but I don’t see how that should factor in to keeping these items permanently exclusive.

17

Are all promotional items timed exclusives?

18

Meh, I don’t really care much. I come for the game play and hanging out with my buddies that are now scattered across the states. I’ll spend some time selecting my armor set that I think looks the best, but I won’t look twice at anybody else’s. Customization is what keeps players busy between games, it is not what brings them to the game.

19

> 2533274861158694;8:
> Respectfully, I’ve got to full-stop disagree with OP on this. I understand and can empathize with having put in a lot of time, energy, effort, and cash for exclusive promotional in-game material; Seriously, I know whereof I speak on this. Back in 2012, I purchased the LE Halo 4 console, as well as preordering and purchasing the LE edition of the game itself through GameStop, all for the exclusive in-game swag and the bragging rights of having it. I was all-in on the concept that by having the exclusive stuff, my online clout would bolster and I’d be appropriately heralded as a cool guy by anyone I brushed shoulders with in MP. I had FOTUS, I had PRIME, I had all the cool stuff and nobody else who didn’t pour obscene amounts of dough towards Halo 4 did or ever would. To be totally clear, I’m not accusing OP of this attitude, I’m just admitting that it was a definite part of why I did that back then, and I’m definitely not proud of it.
>
> I was completely livid when the GOTY and MCC versions of H4 granted all my “exclusive” swag that I had paid so much for to literally everyone else. As far as I was concerned, 343i had sold me and everyone else who went in for the exclusive stuff a false bill of goods by advertising it as exclusive and limited. It seriously set me off for a time despite, ironically, the fact that most of the exclusive in-game stuff I’d paid so much for truthfully struck me as pretty visually gaudy and dumb (more power to you if you like FOTUS, I think it looks really stupid and can’t refrain from facepalming, hard, when I remember how much trouble I went to to get it).
>
> Eventually, though, I kind of just came to terms with the fact that “exclusive” and “premier” preorder marketing schemes are just incredibly vapid and transparently gross. For me, it’s a bit of a “fool me once,” situation. I was once taken in by the promise that I’d get exclusive swag and bragging rights for my Halo experience if I just paid up ahead of time. Of course, I shouldn’t have been surprised when 343i took the same “exclusive,” content and then sold it again later down the road as incentives to push other iterations of the game. Infinite’s marketing may or may not be different, in the end, but I’m not about to go and put a bunch of time and money into trying to get the exclusive swag.
>
> I also find it more than a little gross that 343i is encouraging people to make extraneous grocery runs and consume copious and excessive amounts of objectively unhealthy foodstuffs during an ongoing global pandemic, all for a game that *isn’t even ready on time for the promotions being pushed.*In any event, I’m ultimately happy that all players who like the H4 content I paid so much for can enjoy and use it how they want. With Infinite, I think that sentiment should be, if anything, more true. Locking things like color shaders behind promotional purchases for third party marketing partners of 343i is one of the grossest implementations of cross-promotional game marketing I can ever remember, and this is a world where we get perennial renewals and expansions on Doritos and Dew COD promos. If the skins you unlock from participating are yours forever, I’ll at least be glad that 343i didn’t lie to you about it. But especially given the changes that appear to be coming down the pipe for Halo’s customization with Infinite, I’ll be completely exasperated with 343i in three years if I can’t rock some orange and brown Mjolnir because I didn’t buy a Kit Kat in 2020.

You honestly make some great points here. I genuinely appreciate how rational and levelheaded this is. You’ve definitely given me something to think about!

> 2533274803493024;11:
> Me too, locking off exclusives isn’t very consumer friendly. I see it as a form of gate-keeping people from content they should have access to. I think the timed exclusivity is a nice middle ground. The people that want it to be exclusive get that for a portion of the game’s lifecycle, and then others can have access to the items.

I actually agree with you in Infinite’s case, since these are just basic color combos we’re talking about here. If the coatings had unique patterns like the Ice/Fire Unicorn assault rifle skins in Halo 5, it’d be a different story.

> 2533274811493831;16:
> Nah, I disagree. The items should be exclusive for a limited time. I get that you put a lot of time getting these code for your friends but I don’t see how that should factor in to keeping these items permanently exclusive.

I guess I originally thought it would be odd for 343 to require us to make purchases if we want these items, only to make them unlockable via other means later down the road. As said above, though, I’m challenging myself on this. :sweat_smile:

> 2533274826353946;17:
> Are all promotional items timed exclusives?

I’m honestly not sure. Hopefully 343 clears the air about it before the game releases.

> 2533274866989456;18:
> Meh, I don’t really care much. I come for the game play and hanging out with my buddies that are now scattered across the states. I’ll spend some time selecting my armor set that I think looks the best, but I won’t look twice at anybody else’s. Customization is what keeps players busy between games, it is not what brings them to the game.

I totally get that. Having fun with friends is one of the main reasons a lot of us are here! But some of us also like to check out our friends’ Spartans—and sometimes even random players—to see how they look. It’s not so much about judging them or trying to look the coolest, but more of a compare/contrast thing (at least that’s how it is for me).

20

I get where you’re coming from. It kind of sucks when you work to get an exclusive item only for someone else to get it the easy way. I’m a little mixed but I wouldn’t mind exclusive items staying exclusive to ensure they remain special.

One personal note, if anyone finds out if Amazon is having any exclusives, please fill me in whenever.