Since its debut in 2021, Halo Infinite has been grappling to establish a solid foothold. However, the tides seem to be changing for the once-popular first-person shooter.
Notably, there has been a recent upswing in the player count for Halo Infinite. The journey for Microsoft's flagship live service game, steered by 343 Industries, hasn't been smooth sailing. Due to a series of content delays and cancellations, the game's player community dwindled to a small, loyal group.
Yet, a glimmer of hope emerges as the multiplayer shooter records its first rise in player numbers since Season 4's launch. As per a tweet by HaloHub, the game experienced an increase just recently, marking the first such surge since the arrival of the latest season in June 2023.
While 7,000 concurrent players might not seem significant compared to titles like Call of Duty, Overwatch 2, or Apex Legends, it holds weight for Halo Infinite. In the past 30 days on Steam, the game maintained an average of only 3,406 players.
According to the Halo API tracker shared on the PC Gaming subreddit, the combined player count across all platforms stands at 26,000. Nevertheless, the game's ability to sustain these numbers might be challenged with the impending early access release of Starfield at the end of the following week.
Microsoft has been firmly behind 343 Industries and the Halo Infinite team. Earlier this year, the studio faced the impact of Microsoft's workforce reductions. Additionally, notable figures left the studio following the game's launch. In September 2022, studio head Bonnie Ross departed, followed by multiplayer director Tom French, engineering director David Berger, and head of creative Joseph Staten in the months that followed.
Season 4 contributed valuable content to Halo Infinite. In a recent statement, Matt Booty, Microsoft's game studios boss, affirmed that 343 Industries would remain the primary studio dedicated to Halo. Booty hinted at the possibility of collaboration with external studios, including the potential involvement of Activision Blizzard.
Booty explained, "If something like that were to happen, it would have to come from the studios. It's unlikely that we would come in and dictate that from the top."
The fourth season of Halo Infinite brought a host of content to the online first-person shooter. This included the return of the Infection PvP mode, introduction of two new maps and equipment pieces, a 100-tier battle pass, and game balance adjustments.
The future holds hopes of a Halo Infinite resurgence akin to Battlefield 2042. However, to manifest this, 343 Industries should intensify update frequency and quality content additions. The online first-person shooter genre is currently crowded, with Ubisoft's XDefiant set to join the fray in a matter of months.
