The Time Fourteen Players Almost Saved Halo 2
Business is business. When numbers stop checking out, studios are closed and servers are shut down. That's when legends are born, like the one about the fourteen payers who refused to let a cult FPS go to oblivion.
Every network game has a certain life cycle. When it starts to lose popularity and attract fewer players, the developer and publisher often make the decision to pull the plug on the servers. Sometimes, this causes a strong resistance from fans. Some not only leave an emotional comment on the forum, or in the social media, but also stand up to the giants in an uneven fight to keep their beloved production alive. That's exactly what happened in 2010, when fourteen daredevils extended the operations of the servers of a certain FPS for weeks. In doing so, they became legends that are still talked about today.
2000s multiplayer king
Network multiplayer on consoles came into existence relatively recently, at the beginning of the 21st century. Of course, we can mention earlier experiments (Famicom had its own modem, for example), but only with the launch of SegaNet on Dreamcast at the end of 2000, online play and competition not only with friends, but also with random people from other countries and continents became a thing. Shared adventures in Phantasy Star Online or deathmatches in Quake 3 proved to be a welcome innovation and a huge step forward. Hardware manufacturers and game developers, as well as gamers themselves, have since embraced the vast possibilities of the Internet, which resulted in the creation of many beloved games based on online multiplayer, spurred new genres, and generated huge profits.
Dreamcast's window was just a hint of the possibilities; online gaming was essentially given its greatest momentum by Xbox Live, which went, uhm, live in 2002. In the first week after its debut, Microsoft reported, North American Xbox owners purchased one hundred fifty thousand starter packs of the paid Live service, each priced at $49.95.
Other numbers were also impressive. As we learned in November 2002, a week after Live's launch, there had been over 5 million network sessions (an average of 500 per minute per day). The total play time of all users exceeded one million hours (about 114 years).
The service really exploded in the following years. In July 2004, Microsoft boasted one million subscribers. Twelve months later, the number had doubled. In 2007 (five-year anniversary), the company reported it had reached eight million gamers with a Live subscription. One of the games that can be safely named the driving force behind this service and the popularizer of console online gaming, was no doubt Halo 2. Released in November 2004, the game introduced online play to the series and quickly gathered a large and dedicated community around it. How crazy were they about the multiplayer? This was evidenced by the popularity rankings of games on Xbox Live. In 2006, two years after the blockbuster's release and a year after Xbox 360 arrived, Halo 2 still topped the charts of most-played games.
Halo 2 outclassed renowned competition, including Call of Duty 2, Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter and Battlefield 2: Modern Combat. The FPS craze was gaining even greater momentum, but Halo 2 wasn't going to give way to anyone, though there were plenty of contenders for the throne.
All good things, however, must come to an end at some point. A large corporation, with billions of dollars at disposal, will not endlessly fund old equipment and years of service, when huge potential profits lie in next generation. The time of the first Xbox and its online activity was coming to an end. In February 2010, players learned that the service would be shut down on April 15. Fans of online gaming on Microsoft's first console had just a few weeks to enjoy some of their favorite titles, including the beloved Halo 2.
The amazing Halo 2
Before we get to the conclusion of the Halo 2 story, which really is worthy of a movie, I promise, let's take a look at the bedrock that made Bungie's game so iconic and fondly remembered even today. The developers were well aware that they would have to reach the heights of skill and creativity to meet the expectations raised after the debut of Master Chief. Therefore, the sequel had to be more cinematic, Hollywood-like even, and refined to the smallest detail in terms of mechanics.
So, the script was ten times longer to give the events more epicenes and drama. Level designs for the single-player campaign have been taken care of, but so have memorable multiplayer maps that gave you everything you need to fight. To top it off, there was also the perfect soundtrack that intensified the atmosphere so brilliantly in Halo 2. Result? In addition to the game's sensational reception – instant domination of the online competition within the Xbox Live service. As we can read from official data, shortly after the premiere, as many as 100 thousand players dived right into Halo 2 and its popular online gameplay.
So, we can easily imagine what a blow the decision to shut down the servers on April 15 was to thousands of fans. The community bluntly expressed their grievance, to which Microsoft responded with a PR ploy, an effort to find the optimal solution for everyone. As part of consolation efforts, fans of the classic were given access to beta testing of Halo: Reach then in development, as well as three months of Xbox Live gold subscription and 400 points of virtual currency.
Interestingly, three years later, in 2013, history repeated, and once again, the gaming community objected to Halo 2's servers being shut down. This time it was about the PC version, which required studio 343 Industries to move the deadline from February to June, extending the time of possible online play by three months. At the time, David Ellis, representing the creators, even declared that if interest does not waver, support may be extended. So the platform doesn't really matter here – Halo simply amassed a dedicated community.
How to say goodbye to a legend
Never underestimate the power of nostalgia. When it comes to telling the story of Halo 2's grand finale, it really makes you want to paraphrase a famous quote from Star Wars. Attempts to stop time and change Microsoft's decision were unsuccessful and April 14 finally arrived. The day before the servers were shut down, along with the support of the first Xbox and the Live service on it.
The moment has come for the final, farewell match. Thousands of players, even if they have long since stopped regularly entering the virtual battlefields of the beloved game, have decided to return this one last time to bid farewell to the title that provided them with hundreds of hours of excitement. As Gus Mastrapa reported in an article published on April 14 via Wired Magazine, at the time, more than 1,000 players were still in battle, reminiscing their finest moments with the game, according to Bungie's official count.
Finally, the clock struck midnight. The deadline ended. The Halo 2 servers were still running and whoever was present on the battlefield could still battle with other fans. Whoever left them irretrievably lost the opportunity to come back. Bungie and Microsoft decided not to interfere with this touching farewell and didn't really pull the plug. Players were allowed to play until they logged out.
And they played on.
Hours passed and the number of participants was shrinking. Halo 2, however, was still alive. For another day, then, the next 48 hours. For the next few days, and the following week. Twelve days after support officially ended, shots were still being fired on the battlefield and conversations were held in the lobby. April 27 at 7:20pm Owen Good of Kotaku wrote that Halo 2 is still alive, and it's all thanks to fourteen players refusing to let it go.
On the official Bungie forum, Joe Campbell started a thread where he left a few emotional sentences and a clear message.
We will keep playing until we are all forcibly removed. It could be by Microsoft, Bungie, our Xbox's overheating, or just lagging out. Not for competition, not for a prize, but for the love, and memory of Halo 2.
I want to thank everyone that I've played with in the past few days, this is by far my favorite memory in all my gaming history.
Fourteen people remain logged in Halo 2's battleground. The Noble Fourteen, players who wrote one of the most beautiful stories from the gaming world.
The final days of Halo 2
AforeignObject, Agent Windex, APACHE N4SIR, Detenn, DirtyCajun, H2o Shoagie, HiredN00bs, Lord Odysseus11, sherlok 1, SieferSword, Rob2D, xxBooker Dxx, xxMAKDADYxx and z0mbie stench. The members of the Noble Fourteen were the last ones left in Halo 2, not letting this game go.
Each had been in the game for nearly two weeks straight. They were cheered on by a growing audience fascinated by their extraordinary dedication and commitment. Everyone was still playing Halo 2 , a game released on previous-generation that was over six years old at that point.
Why?
Charlie Barratt of GamesRadar asked several members of the group in May 2010.
xxBooker Dxx: I love Halo 2. This was the game that drew me to XBL. I just wanted to play as long as I could.
HiredN00bs: It was a combination of wanting something new, curiosity and nostalgia.
Agent Windex: For the memories, for the love of the game and simply because Halo 2 is so much fun.
The Fourteen continued shooting in the virtual world of Halo 2 while facing numerous adversities. The group grew smaller with each day.
First, Detenn dropped out. Then, SieferSword, sherlok 1 and H2o Shoagie said goodbye. In late April, an internet disconnection breakup eliminated z0mbie stench. Rob2D also left shortly after.
HiredN00bs made a mistake and signed into his account with a friend to show him the Reach beta, which caused him to log out of Halo 2.
xxBooker Dxx and AforeignObject left the battle due to a power outage on the same day, a few hours apart.
May came, and five fighters remained on the battlefield. DirtyCajun disappeared from the servers on the May 5. On May 8, xxMAKDADYxx followed. On the same day, an internet crash knocked Lord Odysseus11 out of the game.
On May 10, 2010, the Halo 2 servers were still kept alive by the last two players. At 4:15 in the morning, Agent Windex was logged out of the game. Among other things, he had previously survived two storms, narrowly avoiding a power outage. Shortly thereafter, he informed his last brother in arms with the following forum post:
Good job, Apache, you're last.
APACHE N4SIR remained in the game for another fifteen hours. One for each member of the Fourteen who have made history with their act, and one extra for the entire community who have played countless clashes in the Halo 2 world. He had been in combat continuously for 672 hours and 50 minutes. At 1:58 a.m. on May 11, 2010, twenty-five days after the official server shutdown date, the last Halo 2 battle finally ended when the last Spartan left the map.
The story ended, but many friendships were made, and in many cases, they continue to this day. History was written, showing how far people can go for the things they care about.
"Spartans never die, they're only Missing In Action".
The X360 servers are scheduled to shut down at the end of 2021 for all Halo titles released for that console. Online support will end for Halo 3, Halo 3: ODST, Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary, Halo 4 and Halo: Reach. We can expect a dignified farewell from the players as well. At the end of this year, we're looking forward for another special cellebration of the beloved series, perhaps even taking part in the upcoming grand finale ourselves.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
My first encounter with the Halo series happened around 2005, when I tried the original on my PC. To this day, I remember it as one of the more enjoyable online multiplayer experiences, in which I became absolutely crazy about driving vehicles like the Warthog and Banshee. I'm planning on getting a closer look at the series as part of The Master Chief Collection, but before that happens, I'm savoring stories from the universe, like the one described above.
