Why Halo Infinite Became One of 2022‘s Most Disappointing Games

As a long-time Halo fan, it pains me to say Infinite has utterly failed to capture the magic of earlier franchise entries. A year after its delayed launch, the game is hemorrhaging players at an alarming rate due to unfulfilled promises, technical issues, predatory microtransactions, and more. Infinite was meant to propel Halo back to premier FPS status – instead, it has become emblematic of everything that can go wrong in modern gaming development.

The Steady Downfall of a Promised "Live Service"

Infinite was billed as an ambitious "Halo platform" with a 10-year roadmap – a games-as-a-service model requiring constant content updates and community interaction to stay relevant. On launch in late 2021, these promises led to over 20 million players in the first two months. But by mid-2022, that number had plummeted nearly 90% on Steam due to lack of new features and fixes for glaring issues like cheating, connectivity problems, and weapon balancing.

Many of these problems persist even now. After a short-lived bump from the Winter 2022 update, Steam charts paint a grim picture:

As a content creator myself, I‘ve watched Infinite free-fall down Twitch viewership metrics as well – currently sitting below 1k average concurrent stream viewers after once rivaling Fortnite and Apex Legends with nearly 200k at launch.

Simply put, Infinite has failed to retain players in an industry where live service and continual updates are now the norm.

Core Issues Driving Players Away

As an avid member of the Halo online community, I‘ve seen firsthand the multitude of reasons fans are leaving Infinite behind:

Still Missing Key Franchise Features

Over a year after launch, Infinite lacks features considered basic staples of previous games:

• No campaign co-op – A series pillar now delayed until fall 2023
• No Forge level editor – The acclaimed creation tool kits once driving incredible fan creations
• No mission replay – Greatly reducing campaign replayability

These missing elements show a lack of understanding of what keeps hardcore Halo fans engaged for years.

Rampant Cheating & Technical Problems

Despite anti-cheat improvements, aimbots and wallhacks continue tormenting multiplayer. Severe desync between client and server persists, causing unfair gunfights. As a MnK player myself, I can‘t reliably track targets up-close. These technical failings cripple the competitive experience many expect from a flagship shooter.

Predatory Eververse Store

While I‘ve happily purchased cosmetics in other games, Infinite‘s outrageous $20 armor set prices in the "Halo Infinite Item Shop" come across as shameless gouging rather than reasonable monetization. Fans resent having series‘ staples like color selection now being sold back to them.

Unfulfilled Live Service Model

Infinite‘s first year content roadmap failed spectacularly. Season 2 brought marginally more content than Season 1 – not nearly enough to retain interest. Support studio Certain Affinity being assigned to develop a rumored "battle royale" mode reeks of desperation – chasing trends rather than delivering on promises.

What Can Be Done Now?

While the fervent anger of the Halo community can sometimes go overboard, much of the frustration comes from a place of love for a franchise that shaped multiplayer shooting. Players were promised the world with Infinite – an ever-evolving Halo platform – and we received an unfinished, technically flawed skeleton of a live service game held back by issues from top to bottom.

All hope is not lost – Halo still retains devoted, talented fans and developers who want to right this course. But doing so will require brutal honesty, transparency, and a return to committing real resources into fixing Infinite‘s glaring problems…before what remnants of a community are left move onto greener pastures.

There is a universe where Infinite fulfills its lofty goals and ushers in a revival of Halo. But we are far from that reality as long as denial and empty PR-speak continues coming from 343 Industries management. It‘s time for action – or risk this latest numerical entry becoming the infinite disappointment of the franchise.