Personally I think it’s a problem. It might even be the wrong direction they’re talking.
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Of course it is. It all began in H5 when 343i hired a bunch of pros to design the multiplayer.
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It does feel like 343i focused on gearing Halo Infinite towards eSports and it was the BEST decision they made in years. I have been playing Halo competitively since Halo CE and I have been playing first person shooters competitively for over 20 years and Halo is the best FPS for eSports.
It takes a tremendous amount of skill to play Halo, and few FPS come close to the skill gap that Halo has. The excitement and action are unparalleled, but the most important aspect of Halo is its game mechanics and skill level. It is unrivaled in every way, from aim to strafing to teamwork.
I’m a first-generation gamer, having played everything from the original Nintendo to PC/PS/XBX, and I’ve had the pleasure of witnessing the evolution of games and eSports from the beginning. From MLG to eSports, competitive video gaming is only just getting started in the United States. It is now the second most watched sport in the United States, and eSports is growing in popularity in other countries as a result of CSGO and League of Legends. Someday, eSports in the US will have more average viewers than the NFL, which is quite a feat.
I’m not sure you understand what it means that the NFL could be surpassed in viewers by eSports. Furthermore, Halo is similar to football or basketball in that it requires a tremendous amount of skill and teamwork to be good at it, and Halo is one of the games that has the potential to revolutionize eSports like it has in the past.
Halo needs eSports, and eSports needs Halo back up top. Furthermore, Halo can easily please non-competition players with a variety of playlists ranging from BTB to Swat, you name it. Halo can easily please all types of gamers while focusing on what matters, which is competitive gaming.
I played football and coached football at the college level and eSports has tremendous potential to be one of the most popular sports in the world and Halo can help it get there with the help of other games from different genres (League of Legends, CSGO, and future games to come). After witnessing the evolution of video games and eSports from the beginning, I truly understand the potential Halo has in eSports due to the level of skill required to compete.
If non-competitive gamers are unhappy with the direction eSports is taking, then ranked Halo is not for you. Just like in other sports, only a select few people in the world have the skills to compete with the best, and Halo’s skill gap is one of the best things about this game. Even though a select few people can compete with the best doesn’t mean it is the wrong direction to head in. Just look at how popular football is, there are not many players in the NFL (32 teams + 53 man rosters + practice squad) and it generates massive amount of viewers and money. Halo is only for the best of the best.
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Been playing competitively since CE eh? What a crock.
People playing ranked Arena think they are playing competitive and they aren’t. Matching up against 4 people one time is not competitive, its a sweat match…and HCS is hot garbage.
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I mean, so was Halo 2 and 3.
Halo CE was kinda a wonk fest not designed for MP at all but people found some way to actually make it a competition.
Halo 2 actually introduced skill based button combos, popularized crouch jump, rocket jump.
H3 was where the Esports reallly took off, but it still found a way to let casuals enjoy with Forge customs.
H5 was where they really decided to make players sweat.
I think Infinite has taken a nice middle ground between H3 and H5, providing high action skill based gameplay, but heck, if you just wanna get into BTB and shoot stuff, it’s so accessible. Also, we’ve yet to have Forge or customs browser. Go look up youtube and people are making custom games with like, 0 gravity, Infinite Grapple Rockets mode. Infinite can be fun, its just up to you to find your fun.
You make some excellent points that I overlooked. Forge has enormous potential for players of all skill levels.
I’m hella competitive, but I fkg hate Strongholds.
It’s like gasping for air for 15 minutes.
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You have no idea how competitive Halo CE was. Every weekend, there were companies hosting LAN tournaments and there was online tournaments. Even though there was no Xbox Live at the time, you could still participate in online tournaments via XBConnect. It was software that you installed on your computer to connect your Xbox online with people all over the world. It was Xbox Live 1.0 at the time. Also, I used to compete in MLG. You have no idea what you are talking about.
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And this focusing on esports is what killed Halo 5 and will kill Halo Infinite.
This is what Dr Disrespect was trying to say, Halo needs a Battle Royal to stay relevant and in the competitive scene. Halo can’t rely on 4 v 4’s anymore if its going competitive and introducing bigger teams / bigger maps.
Some 4 v 4 maps in Infinite are way too big.
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But why is that?
Personally (without knowing your reasons) I don’t see a problem with a focus on gearing a game around an ultra competitive experience if there are other choices for more casual players to experience and enjoy that don’t feel forced or cheap. In Halo this is very doable, and has been done well in the past.
Overwatch is an example of a game that also focused heavily on an eSports experience, Blizzard even went so far as to boldly develop its own in house team and tournament system rather than rely on 3rd party pro teams. However, given its incredibly limited gameplay loop, even the casual mode felt like a training mode for competitive. When they finally introduced a true casual experience it still wasn’t enough. The game is geared heavily in the favor of ultra competitive players, and the gameplay design, no matter how casual, is hardbaked in this direction as well. With enjoyable characters and a charming art style, casual players fell for this game in droves, but the lack of an enjoyable easy going experience paired with a focus on hardcore competition imade for a confusing and often cantankerous dilemma within the community.
Omg you speak the ancient tongue
Didnt gamespy have something too?
We were so happy to just play halo against other people we didnt care that whoever had host usually won
The days of figuring out how to change your xbox consoles name
Halo was about fun, not ESports.
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It’s funny because Halo 5 was more competitive than this. It’s actually geared towards casuals.
No collison.
Outlines.
Bare easy to learn maps.
Bright colors.
Que sounds everywhere.
Even the grenades are on pads.
Definitely not a eSports game
Halo 5 was better tho. You know what killed it? No putting the proper playlists together. It took years to get them to make HCS settings which would’ve been the standard since the start.
This is less of an eSports title now
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You think by saying you played MLG that props up some competitive chops? And some arcade hosting a tournament for Halo was anything more than a marketing ploy, that frankly ended disastrously for arcades?
MLG, GameBattles, and HCS have soured the competitive side of gaming and frankly ruined it for those of us who enjoyed Clan vs Clan matches for bragging rights. Now there has to be money or notoriety involved for anyone to even consider playing…
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MLG, GameBattles, and HCS are clan vs clan on steroids, elevating competition and skill to unprecedented level. Hopefully, someday you will be able to truly experience and comprehend top-tier competitive gaming.
And I’m confused as to why you think it can’t be both?
I invite you to look up the definition of “clan”. These teams are not clans. They are individuals who play a game professionally.
I also have no wish “to experience top-tier gaming.” I dealt with it enough in Reach when I ran HaloWarz.
The days of social competition are dead and it is very sad.
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The map design sure gives a “esports first” mentality. Almost all of them have that 3 lane layout, leaving them all to feel the same but with a different coat of paint. We have 10 maps, but it’s more like we have 3. Gone are the days of the interesting map designs like in Halo 1, 2, and 3. With the older Halos, all the maps felt different, unique. In Halo Infinite however, they just blend together simply because they all share the same 3 lane layout.
So yes, I’d say that the game was made with esports in mind.
E-sports sucks the fun out of everything it touches. Social is once again cast into exile in customs.
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