Halo Infinite's multiplayer is now available free-to-play across the world, and early impressions are very positive. It's been years since the release of Halo 5 and fans are clearly anxious to get back into the franchise, especially with the kind of robust post-launch support expected of online games in 2021. Yet there is some trepidation. Twitch streamer xQc put many Halo Infinite players' worries to words recently, warning the developers at 343 Industries not to make the same mistakes that Blizzard has made with Overwatch.
Referencing Overwatch may seem like an odd comparison, but in this case, xQc's makes an apt point. His response was driven by what he saw as presumptions about Halo Infinite's success and longevity based on initial numbers surrounding the game statistics, including Steam concurrent players and Twitch viewers. xQc warns developer and player alike not to trust those numbers, because "it might not stay that way."
xQc goes on to sarcastically tease his viewership, mockingly encouraging them to boast and focus on "announcement-driven analytics." "That's a good idea, never gone wrong before," is how he punches home his point. He'd go on to say not to "put stock in early Analytics." "Overwatch did that," is xQc's explanation for why, claiming that Blizzard would say "34 million!" for years. That's a reference to Overwatch attaining 35 million players/accounts in its first 18 months.
That number, xQc believes, wasn't accurate to the size of Overwatch's player base or its activity. He says that at the time he saw Overwatch only having around 8,000 viewers on Twitch, "and not many more playing." That's, obviously, an extreme exaggeration, but xQc's point that numbers can be misleading and that what matters is an active player base and a healthy game. As such, xQc recommends 343 focus on addressing in-game issues lest the game "rot."
To be fair to 343 and Halo, it does seem that xQc isn't approaching the conversation from a non-biased perspective. He already has a low opinion of Halo Infinite and doesn't have much confidence in the game's future, saying that he thinks "people have moved on from Halo," compared to the height of the franchise's popularity. xQc describes Halo's combat as "slow and outdated," and that it "lacks serious pace in its gameplay." It's easy to see why xQc doesn't think the game will be successful when he doesn't enjoy the game in the first place.
Regardless of xQc's thoughts, Halo Infinite and 343 Industries do have a lot to prove. The game's seasonal progression system has already been heavily criticized, though 343 has quickly promised improvements. Then come months and years of 343 delivering post-launch content to keep Halo Infinite fresh and compelling. That's not something many games have managed. That said, while launch numbers may not matter in 2022 or beyond, it's still a great start for a franchise many worried would never be on top again.
Halo Infinite's multiplayer is available now on PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.