After a pretty significant change to Xbox Live, rumors have continued to swirl about the state of multiplayer on Xbox Series X. Some rumors have posited that Xbox Live would eventually merge with Game Pass permanently instead of two separate subscriptions, while others have even stated that Xbox Live multiplayer would become completely free-to-play on Xbox Series X. As interesting as that would be, recently Halo Infinite announced that multiplayer specifically would be free-to-play for the game.
Unless this announcement is a lead in to online multiplayer being free for all games on Xbox Series X, free-to-play multiplayer across the board doesn't seem likely. Xbox Live started the trend of paid online services with the Xbox 360, with PlayStation following soon after with PS4. At the same time, given that Xbox Live has officially removed one of its subscription rates, Xbox Live could theoretically be changing the online service significantly. That being said, a drastic change like free online multiplayer for all games doesn't seem likely because of Halo Infinite.
Halo Infinite's Free-To-Play Multiplayer
Earlier this week, a leak came out regarding Halo Infinite's multiplayer. From a leaked product description by Smyths Toys, Halo Infinite's details described a "groundbreaking free-to-play multiplayer experience" along with the previously-unveiled campaign. Other details included faster loading speeds and up to 120 FPS framerate. Eventually, Microsoft caught wind of the leak and decided to officially confirm. It's now been confirmed by Xbox that "Halo is for everyone," meaning Halo Infinite will have fully free-to-play multiplayer on Xbox Series X. Additionally, the announcement specified the game will support and run up to 120 FPS on Xbox Series X specifically, though it's unclear if that means locked/unlocked framerate or the ability to change those settings.
Other than this being a very consumer-friendly move by Xbox and Microsoft, it does bring into question the legitimacy of the rumors about free Xbox Live multiplayer across the board. VentureBeat reporter Jeff Grubb did pose the idea that "Xbox Live is going away and playing online multiplayer will be free," on the basis that Xbox Live would no longer be a requirement at bare minimum for free-to-play games on console. The removal of the one-year subscription rate for Xbox Live could potentially be evidence of this notion, but at the moment, it doesn't seem to make sense given this Halo Infinite news.
Free Xbox Live Multiplayer Seems Less Likely Now
It brings into question why this announcement was made specifically about Halo Infinite, if Xbox truly intends to implement free multiplayer platform-wide. Even if Microsoft has an announcement for Xbox Live planned for August like some rumors suggest, why comment on this leak in the first place? This confirmation does mean that Halo Infinite is receiving free-to-play multiplayer, but if all Xbox games won't require Xbox Live subscriptions to play, then the purpose of this announcement would be irrelevant.
More realistically, it would make sense for Xbox Live not to be a requirement with free-to-play games on Xbox Series X, not necessarily all games. This free-to-play announcement does line up with coverage last year that stated Halo Infinite would have microtransactions and social features, based on a 343 Industries job listing. It's very possible Halo Infinite could be taking a similar approach to other live service games like battle royales, given how prominent Spartan customization is throughout the series. Halo 5 Guardians had microtransactions as well, so this isn't exactly anything new for the franchise, but the approach very well might.
Xbox Series X Still Needs Xbox Live
Overall, it just doesn't seem like free-to-play multiplayer across the whole platform is in the cards for Xbox Series X, at least at this point. While Halo Infinite receiving free-to-play multiplayer is a very unexpected move from Microsoft in a vacuum, it does follow many of the good faith changes the Xbox brand has made in the last few years. Additionally, Halo Infinite is being poised as both a spiritual reboot and an opportunity to restart for 343 Industries. Having free-to-play multiplayer for Halo Infinite is a logical step in that direction, encouraging players to jump back into Halo without burning former fans behind a paywall.
While merging Xbox Live with Game Pass still isn't out of the realm of possibility, actually free multiplayer for all of Xbox Series X games just doesn't seem realistic. Game Pass is an incredibly popular service already, and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate is one of the best values for an Xbox Live subscription. Despite all of Game Pass' praise and success, it probably is not Xbox's biggest slice of profits, so Xbox Live is still necessary. For now, all Halo fans get to experience Infinite's multiplayer without any boundaries.
Halo Infinite launches holiday 2020 for PC and Xbox Series X.