Microsoft's Flagship FPS Series Fights for Its Life? Disturbing Rumors
Halo has reportedly been given one last chance by Microsoft to succeed in the face of Halo Infinite's poor performance.
Do you still remember Halo - Xbox's flagship FPS series? Well, allegedly now it is the former flagship series. If recent reports are to be believed, the yet unannounced sequel to Halo Infinite is said to have gotten one last chance to succeed, before the Redmond giant buries Master Chief forever (or at least for a while).
The source of this information is Twitter user Hailey "Snoweira" Snow (@HaileyEira), who in April reported on the passing of Joe Staten. According to the Internet user, for about five months, Microsoft no longer recognizes Halo as its flagship brand. The next installment could be the last if it doesn't meet the publisher's expectations, plus it has half the budget of Halo Infinite.
If one considers this information credible, even without Snoweira's entry one can point to the reasons for Microsoft's alleged decision.
- Although it recorded a great debut, today Halo Infinite is doing very poorly for a high-budget shooter with a multiplayer mode. While it's not a Marvel's Avengers-level disaster, it doesn't give Microsoft a reason to be proud either.
- Moreover, the Redmond giant is close to finalizing the purchase of Activision Blizzard, and thus acquiring Call of Duty. Admittedly, the freshly signed agreement with Sony will not make the highly-popular series an Xbox exclusive for at least a decade, but it could still put the worth of developing Halo under question.
Of course, it all comes down to whether Snoweira's information is true. Notable journalists Tom Henderson and Jez Corden do not believe the leak and do not predict the imminent death of Halo. The former stated cynically that Snoweira's entry makes for a great "viral tweet." Corden, on the other hand, bluntly announced that this rumor has nothing to do with the truth and assured that Microsoft is still "committed" to the series.
With a relatively unknown Internet user with few confirmed leaks on one side, and two hitherto reliable informants on the other, one can seriously doubt the information provided by Snoweira. Another thing is that in the context of the current - as Corden delicately put it - complicated situation of Halo some fans of the series is inclined to believe the rumors.
