For once, a seemingly ridiculous video game rumor turned out to be true:Halo Infinite’s multiplayerreleased nearly one month early. Leaks indicated that the surprise could happen, but it still seemed too good to be true. But the fact is that players are enjoyingHalo Infinite’s first season much sooner than anticipated.
The decision to dropHalo Infiniteearly isn’t just a sweet “thank you” to fans for their support. It’s the sneakiest power play a video game company has pulled sinceSony’s infamous “$299”mic drop at E3 1995.
Un-freakin’ believable
Before the surprise drop, Microsoft was in something of an awkward position.Halo Infinitewas set to be its big holiday game, but its planned December 8 release date wasn’t ideal. A December date meant that the game wouldn’t be out in time for Black Friday and Cyber Monday, when many people buy holiday gifts or hunt for discounted games.Battlefield 2042andCall of Duty: Vanguardwould headline sales events, putting those shooters in the spotlight heading into the holidays. Even ifHalo Infinitegot positive buzz at launch, it would be late to the party.
Getting good word of mouth was going to be a challenge, too. December releases also tend to miss the Game of the Year season as many sites publish their lists by the end of November. While Digital Trends planned to hold our GOTY decision until we playedHalo, others likely would have left it out of contention and saved it for their 2022 lists. Similarly, the game would be ineligible for The Game Awards this year and would be considered for the following year’s show instead, much like what happened toSuper Smash Bros. Ultimatewhen it dropped in mid-December 2018. Any critical acclaim would come late, making it hard for Microsoft to capitalize heading into the holidays.
By dropping the multiplayer mode early, Microsoft has rewritten the rules. While the game isn’t fully out (single-player is still coming in December), the conversation around it is now in full swing. Players will start posting clips all over social media, it’ll dominate Twitch charts, and media will start kicking out impressions way earlier than planned (ourselves included). And all of that will happen before people start putting together their holiday wish lists.
It’s a bombshell move and one that might tick the competition off.Battlefield 2042was supposed to be the most high-profile game launching this month (especially after tepidCall of Duty: Vanguardreviews), butHalo Infinitejust crashed a Warthog full of banana peels on its clear runway. Now it’ll have to share the spotlight with the biggest shooter of the year — one that’stotally free to playand has the element of surprise behind it.
Halo Infiniteis no longer at risk of getting lost in the mix; it’s the competition who should be worrying.
A sneaky beta
The sneakiest part of the whole early launch is the clever use of a “beta” label. Fans aren’t experiencing the final version ofHalo Infiniteright now. Microsoft is strategically calling the multiplayer mode a “beta.” That gives the company a fair bit of flexibility. Players are more likely to forgive any technical issues when they know they’re playing a non-final version of a game. EA won’t get the same good will whenBattlefield 2042launches in full later this week. In fact, the game isalready getting “review bombed”by early access players who are bumping into stability issues in a game they paid $60 or more for.
What remains to be seen is whether or not the multiplayer mode actually leaves beta once the game’s release date rolls around. There’s a good chance that Microsoft will just leave the label on — an admission that the long-delayed game still wasn’t ready for launch. Had Microsoft fully released the multiplayer on December 8 as a beta, fans would have been outraged. The company would be under scrutiny for releasing an unfinished game (it will already lack campaign co-op and Forge mode at launch, which has drawn criticism from fans). Instead, fans are simply delighted they’re getting to play it weeks early.
Messaging is everything in video games and Microsoft seems acutely aware of that. By positioning the launch as a “gift,” players are going to approach the game much differently than they would have in December. Microsoft now looks like a good guy kindly giving fans a surprise, rather than a giant company rushing out a game to pump up its fourth quarter financial earnings at any cost. It’s a devilishly clever move that could change the way companies roll out their games moving forward.
I’m not sure if that’s good for players in the long term, but that’s unimportant at the moment. Microsoft has delivered a rare shock in an industry that’s usually predictable. Rule-breaking power plays like this are scarce, but they tend to be turning points for the industry. Don’t be surprised if the Xbox Series X suddenly usurps PS5 as this holiday’s hottest console as a result.
Halo Infinite’s multiplayer is now free to download and play on PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S. Thefull game, including its single-player mode, launches on December 8.
