How Halo Infinite's accessibility and free-to-play model helped it enjoy the biggest launch in franchise history

Halo Infinite was a successful release in 2021 and now there are numbers and quantifications of that success.

Earlier on January 26, 2022, Halo's official social media handle revealed the number of players who have played the game so far. As of writing, 20 million players have joined the journey on the latest and biggest-ever release of the series.

The game's success in terms of player count is not surprising at all. It had one of the biggest ever launches and the concurrent player count on Steam was massive. But this success has not come by mere luck as the overall game design and management decisions have been the biggest reasons.

As 20 million Spartans celebrate the achievement, the accessibility of Halo Infinite cannot be forgotten.

---

Halo Infinite's playerbase has a lot to do with its accessibility

Halo Infinite was one of the most anticipated releases before the game dropped on Steam for PC and Xbox for consoles. The game is developed by 343 Industries, and has delivered every iota of hype that surrounded the release.

But the biggest factor that claimed the headlines was the fact that a part of the game was completely free.

All the multiplayer modes of the game are available completely free of cost to all the players. This applies to both PC and console players as any playlist can be accessed by the players without spending a single penny.

Since its release, multiplayer modes have received several events, some of which have come with completely-free event passes.

Normally, a player will however need to purchase the campaign separately to enjoy the single-player mode. But there is an incredible option which can save a lot of expense for the player.

The entire campaign is available to both console and PC players at no additional cost if they are subscribed to the Xbox Game Pass. So for an Xbox Game Pass user, the entire offering of Halo Infinite is available at zero additional cost.

This ease of accessibility has been the main reason why the game has been joined by 20 million players in about 3 months since its release. This number includes only free-to-play members as well as members from the 25 million Xbox Game Pass subscribers.

While a free-to-play gamer may not directly add money to a developer, more players keep the game active. This part is extremely important for a game like Halo Infinite that has a developing competitive scene.

So even if a member enjoys only the multiplayer modes without spending anything, the game and its developers still benefit from it.

Had it been a $60 game straight way, the success would have been much less. But by making a massive part of the game completely free and bringing the complete game to the Xbox Game Pass from the very first day, publishers have played the perfect hand.

Halo Infinite may not be without its vices, but those are being worked on. But the ease of accessibility has ensured that there is a consistent and robust player base which helps the game to grow. That has exactly been the case with Halo Infinite and it remains to be seen what the future holds for the game and the franchise.