Why Halo Infinite's player count in April is a major cause of concern for 343 industries

Halo Infinite's reception by the community has turned into a mixed one with the passage of time, as the initial highs have declined to a certain extent. When 343 Industries released the multiplayer part of the game for free, it received a massive ovation from the players. The fact that players can access the multiplayer part at no extra cost has brought in many players. The campaign still had to be bought by players (except for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscribers), but it was accepted by the community. However, as of late, the player count has come down drastically from the initial highs, and it should be a significant worry for the developers.

The primary issue with the game has been its state and the way 343 Industries has progressed with it. It has been a common complaint from many players that the game's development is too slow. Certain features, along with fan-favorite modes, are yet to arrive, which has led to further disappointment. Although the Steam player count might only be a part of it, its downfall is problematic.

---

Halo Infinite's player count on Steam has reduced drastically

At the time of writing, Halo Infinite is being played by about 6,500 players against a daily peak of less than 9,000. This is a significant downfall from the nearly 300,000 players who played the game at its peak.

While analyzing these numbers, it should be noted that the actual numbers are higher. There are players on the console, and the Steam count numbers do not include those who play with Game Pass on PC. However, it is unlikely that the change in numbers will result from the shift to Game Pass only.

The player count of most video games reduces after a point in time, but the decline of Halo Infinite's player count is not average. This is even more of a contrast because 343 Industries has portrayed the game as a live service where players will keep coming back for more content.

Content has been a significant area of concern as fan-favorite modes are yet to arrive in the game. A significant request from players has been forged, which will not make its way before Season 3. Additionally, Season 3 is still around 4 months away. Forge is just one of the game's problems when it comes to content.

A couple of days back, Halo 3: ODST received an update that allows players to enjoy crossplay co-op on their campaigns. This is in stark contrast to Infinite's situation, where the campaign co-op is still missing. Fans anticipated it to arrive in Season 2, but they have been left disappointed.

Although Season 2 will be adding two new maps, the game will still have fewer maps compared to some of the older games. Some might counter that those games have existed for longer. However, Halo 2 had nine maps in the six months after its release, more than Halo Infinite had in the same period.

As mentioned above, although the Steam numbers only represent a part of the player base, it is a worrying problem. The decline results from the culmination of all the grievances that players have had over the last few months. It's not that 343 Industries hasn't introduced new content at all, but the overall rate of new additions has been unsatisfactory.

'Season 2: Lone Wolves' will arrive in Halo Infinite on May 3. New content is being planned for additions that have been announced, which has created some excitement among fans. However, the pertinent question, will once again be how much of it can retain the interests of the players.

There's no doubt that several players will return to the the game to test it once more. The free-to-play aspect makes the game highly accessible, which is a plus for the game. However, the past few weeks have shown that just being accessible is not enough.

For the time being, the onus for 343 Industries will be to deliver quality content with Season 2 and continue doing so beyond that. Whether that will be enough to revive the player count in Halo Infinite will be a different matter altogether.