Ever since its announcement and subsequent reveal, Battlefield 2042 has been under a microscope by fans of the franchise, and others alike. After taking a short hiatus after Battlefield 5, DICE brought back the Battlefield series with a near-future design meant to harken back to Battlefield 3, one fan-favorite entry in the franchise. The troublesome release and post-launch reception of Battlefield 5 ended up being a severe blow to the franchise, something Battlefield 2042 will hopefully remedy by the time of its full release on November 19. However, a surprise wrinkle on the 20th anniversary of Xbox may be working against that desire: the release of Halo Infinite multiplayer.
Even though the proper release of Halo Infinite is still planned for December 8 of this year, 343 Industries celebrated the 20th anniversary of Xbox and Halo by releasing multiplayer early in a beta phase. A few leaks beforehand may have spoiled the surprise for some, but it was a genuine surprise for most fans after Halo Infinite was delayed a full year from its original November 10, 2020 launch date. Granted a surprise release to drum up hype for Infinite's full release this December is a huge showing of good faith by Xbox and 343 Industries, attempting to remedy for the Xbox Series X/S launch losing Halo, but it comes at the cost of stealing any thunder Battlefield 2042 had.
Halo Infinite's MP Release Throws a Wrench in DICE's Plans
Seemingly out of nowhere, fans started to notice over the weekend that several leakers and content creators were hinting at a big announcement coming next Monday. Many were aware that the 20th anniversary of Xbox (and Halo) was happening on Monday, but many figured it'd involve some kind of light celebration, rather than a surprise game drop. Instead, Halo Infinite's free-to-play multiplayer launched in beta early on November 15, right after Battlefield 2042's first early access weekend. Now, with the full release of Battlefield 2042 happening on November 19, the game's release now has to contend with Halo Infinite's launch popularity at the same time.
The problem is that anyone who's already playing Battlefield 2042 before November 19 has already purchased the game and is theoretically planning to play it after launch. What if that player wanted to try out Battlefield 2042 first, and then check out Halo Infinite later? Fans of both games are all of a sudden finding themselves in an unfortunate conundrum where they need to make a choice, and Halo Infinite could win out. Some fans haven't been super satisfied with Battlefield 2042's multiplayer, so those fans are more willing to move over to Halo Infinite for two reasons: Halo Infinite multiplayer is entirely free-to-play, and the reception of Halo's multiplayer is much more positive.
Battlefield 2042 Has Unexpected Competition This Month
Players who were potentially considering playing one multiplayer experience over the other are left with an even easier choice this month. Not only has Halo Infinite's multiplayer released earlier than expected, but 343 Industries has maintained its promise that base Halo Infinite multiplayer would be free-to-play. On all platforms where the game is available, players can hop in to play for free right now, almost a week prior to Battlefield 2042's release on Friday. Players will be easily swayed to Halo Infinite when considering that Battlefield 2042's $69.99 price tag ($59.99 on PC) is a huge ask, especially considering the game's beta and early access reception.
Granted the only obvious outlier here is PlayStation players, who don't get to play Halo Infinite for obvious reasons of console exclusivity. Battlefield 2042 has a better chance on Sony's console compared to Xbox and PC players because of this, considering the only alternative for a competitive AAA shooter on PS5 released this winter is Call of Duty: Vanguard. Of course, the Battlefield vs. Call of Duty discussion has existed for years, but considering both entries in 2021 are full price games, the choice between those is far more contentious and up to preference.
That's also likely why, when Halo Infinite's multiplayer was leaked and announced to be free-to-play, many fans were shocked and concerned. Many figured Halo's multiplayer would be going the same way that other free-to-play multiplayer offerings had: A battle royale-focused experience, with microtransactions and a battle pass. However, 343 Industries and Xbox was quick to prove fans that Halo Infinite would remain true to its origins, while introducing these modern shooter elements. Even if there isn't a battle royale mode, and Halo Infinite's battle pass isn't exactly implemented flawlessly, fans have been thoroughly impressed by the technical preview and beta.
Halo fans, or just shooter fans in general who own an Xbox or PC, should definitely be checking out Halo Infinite. That much on its own generally goes without saying, but for Battlefield 2042, it's an unexpected wrinkle leading up to the game's release that could stop its momentum before it can even get started.
Battlefield 2042 releases on November 19, 2021, for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.