Halo Infinite’s long-term woes should come as no surprise

digitaltrends.com:

Halo Infinite’s first six months haven’t gone as planned. When the multiplayer game launched in December 2021, it seemed destined for success thanks to glowing critical praise and immediate fan excitement spurred on by a surprise early beta release. Though the game was missing key features like co-op play and Forge mode, it seemed that 343 Industries had a firm plan for getting them out, alleviating concerns.

The honeymoon period didn’t last long. With each passing week, gripes began mounting. Fans criticized everything from the game’s slow progression to its overpriced cosmetics to its lack of playlists. Soon enough, 343 was forced to shift its priorities, kicking key features down the line. The public sentiment around the game isn’t quite as enthusiastic as it was in December, and the game’s woes are only continuing in season 2.

None of this should come as a surprise. Halo Infinite’s trajectory was clear the moment 343 Industries started punting features into a post-launch road map. Despite several stories of rocky live service launches over the years, games like Halo Infinite continue to fall into the same traps by failing to anticipate unforeseen problems.

Since December, 343 Industries has found itself playing a seemingly never-ending game of whack-a-mole. That began immediately when the game launched, as fans took issue with the game’s slow battle pass progression. The studio quickly made tweaks to the way experience points are doled out over the course of multiple updates.

It seemed like a simple enough change, but it kicked off a snowball effect. Fans began voicing their concerns with various parts of the game, calling for a slew of quality of life changes. Again, 343 acted quickly, tackling complaints like the