Microsoft needs a Plan B, they need to start thinking about a Halo replacement.

[TheGhost]

Halo is Microsoft's most well known game. At one time, a time when there was no real threat on consoles from a third parties in the FPS field, it was king. It ruled with a iron fist and it took COD4 to finally make the Spartans to budge from their throne of power.

Fast forward to today and Halo is not what it's once was, caught between a power struggle between Halo enthusiasts and probably people in power who want to evolve it into a series that will have a wider net of appeal.
I have faith with the help of Gamepass, Halo Infinite will succeed in drumming up excitement. But people have moved on....Halo is now sharing it's playerbase it once held with COD, Battlefield, Rainbow Six, Overwatch and Destiny.

But this thread isn't about the direction Halo needs to take. It's about Microsoft needing a Plan B.

Plan B isn't a single player, third person view cinematic game. That will fill a hole, but they need something that can be as exciting as Halo once was.

Forza is great for racing, arguably the best racing game this generation.

Gears is fun and always well produced but it has failed at being a Plan B, it's now just a game you play for a month or two and put down.

Microsoft needs a new MP game that will drive engagement. That will make Microsoft a must have system.

It can't be purchased with marketing rights, it can't be a time released third party title. It needs to be a in house success story.

They need the Halo replacement.

 

[Triggerhappytel]

I think they're finally out of the mindset that Xbox primarily needs a few pillar franchises, and instead are focusing on delivering a wide variety of old and new IP to provide consumers with a lot of choice. No doubt Game Pass is the reason for this, as they now need regular content to put on the service, but I definitely think this is a change for the better.

 

[Deleted member 10908]

Why do you think theyre buying all these studios? They know they need new IP

 

[Iceboh]

A bit premature, no? Infinite isn't out yet and MCC is doing really well on Steam.

 

[nekkid]

It would be wrong for them to lean heavily on one single flagship MP title. They've been out of that mindset for years. Long may it continue.

 

[Bunkles]

They need many Halo replacements. They should never hinge the entire platform on one big IP again.

 

[Kalentan]

A bit premature, no? Infinite isn't out yet and MCC is doing really well on Steam.

Click to shrink...

Halo is dad though.

 

[Deleted member 10737]

they're not relying heavily on halo tho? with the amount of studios they have now they're gonna have like 3-4 AAA games and a bunch of smaller games a year.

 

[KrAzEd]

I disagree. I think they need more story driven games like Sony. Microsoft has some great multiplayer games (Gears, Forza, Halo). Although Halo 5's single player wasn't incredible, the multiplayer was and is still being played a bunch to this day. I think Halo Infinite launching with the new console will drive hype and hopefully they nail the single/multiplayer this time. There is so much more competition in the 3rd party space these days in terms of multiplayer, single player games are garnering more hype in my opinion where games like Fotnite/Apex kind of come out of nowhere and become popular overnight.

 

[Shelbyville Milhouse]

Microsoft needs a new MP game that will drive engagement. That will make Microsoft a must have system.

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What big MP exclusive does Sony have?

 

[Khrol]

Replacement? No. Halo will always be important to their brand.

They're working on adding more IP now, but don't expect pillars like Halo, Gears or Forza to go away.

 

[Deleted member 10795]

I honestly thought they had one with Titanfall, which felt like the most exciting multiplayer thing I'd played since COD4.

Unfortunately the Xbox One was, well.. the Xbox One at that time, and it got dismissed under stupid "Have you seeeeen Titanfall?" memes and an unnecessarily blown out fuss about the lack of a campaign.

If I could rewind time to amend anything about this gen, I think Titanfall getting proper dues from the start, and TF2 becoming a critical success as a result, is what I'd change.

 

[SuikerBrood]

They just need a decent spread of titles. Diversity is king.

Some people want to play Halo, some people want to play Forza, some want to people play The Outer Worlds and some people want to play Sea of Thieves.

Different audiences, but all flocking to a console for an experience.

 

[Deleted member 8752]

Any franchise can reinvent itself to become relevant. I actually think Halo is in good hands right now.

Also, have you guys heard about this thing called "Minecraft?"

 

[Alec]

Game Pass and these studios they are buying are their Halo replacements. They are already poised to take next-gen, IMO.

 

[Evolution of Metal]

A bit premature, no? Infinite isn't out yet and MCC is doing really well on Steam.

Click to shrink...

It has already lost like 90% of the playerbase in less than a month.

 

[Deleted member 18951]

Fifteen studios. Twenty+ teams.

I'm sure they'll be fine :)

 

[Yuntu]

I honestly don't quite know how one could come to the conclusion MS is putting all the pressure on Halo or that its all they are planning for.

Obviously Halo Infinite will be an important launch game but it is very clear they are not focusing only on it. And it also doesn't need an replacement, Halo is still super popular.

 

[Burrman]

People really want Halo to die. Halo Infinite is gonna be huge, and thankfully MS has a lot of studios to work on new IP.

Halo never dies, it's only missing in action.

 

[Thrill_house]

They need a shit ton of new IP and they know it. They have been grabbing studios lately so I'm sure they have quite a few rods in the furnace.

 

[Theorry]

Diversity is king for gamepass. One might join for Halo the other joins for Flight Simulator.

 

[ghostcrew]

I feel like this is all only true in a world where Microsoft relies solely on Halo and that's not reality. This concern is about 10 years late. It's been sharing the market with other more successful multiplayers titles for about that long. Why the sudden panic?

MS don't 'need to start thinking about a Halo replacement'. They can carry on making Halo - that still sells millions - and continue making other games while they're at it, like they already do. The Xbox isn't a Halo machine anymore, and that's ok.

 

[RingRang]

This conversation can happen after we see how Infinite turns out.

I think they're finally out of the mindset that Xbox primarily needs a few pillar franchises, and instead are focusing on delivering a wide variety of old and new IP to provide consumers with a lot of choice. No doubt Game Pass is the reason for this, as they now need regular content to put on the service, but I definitely think this is a change for the better.

Click to shrink...

Pillar games are a huge part of what sells consoles. They're very much still needed and relevant.

 

[Adventureracing]

This sentiment was common at the start of this gen and it was correct in a lot of ways. Now though? MS is starting to build a strong suite of devs and their lineup looks to be a lot better going forward. Let's see what they deliver next gen before making judgements.

Also halo is going to be big. It feels more hyped than the other 343 games and I think it could end up the best selling in the series.

 

[Dark Cloud]

They have a lot of IP's and studios

 

[Zoon]

Age of Empires?

 

[Klobrille]

Their plan is offering diversity via 15+ first-party studios. And not as an replacement, but as an addition.

Just look at their insanely diverse 2020 first-party line-up.

 

[Ojli]

Maybe that's what The Initiative is for? But I'm fine with more Halo alongside other titles

 

[Navidson REC]

The last FPS Halo game came out almost 5 years ago. They have been taking their time. I think Halo is poised for a comeback, but it obviously won't be the crazy juggernaut that Halo 3 was at launch. There's just too much competition.

The key, at any rate, is diversity of offerings. And Microsoft seems to be heading there in full force. Halo will remain a pillar, but there will be more.

 

[TheGhost]

A bit premature, no? Infinite isn't out yet and MCC is doing really well on Steam.

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Of course MCC is doing well on steam, that's what happens when you deny something for years.

And no this conversation can't wait to see what happens how Infinite turns out. We saw how 4 and 5 turned out. A Halo replacement should have been in the works since then. Infinite could be a 10/10 game critically but that does not garuntee player retention.

 

[jelly]

They don't need a replacement, just make a great one while making other games which they are finally committing to in a big way.

 

[Kalentan]

It has already lost like 90% of the playerbase in less than a month.

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I mean... It's also just Halo Reach now. It's missing the other 5 campaigns and 4.5 multiplayers.

 

[digitalrelic]

This thread would've been relevant in 2017. They literally started enacting their plan B like 2 years ago.

 

[Deleted member 62028]

Pretty sure they're already doing that with all the new studios.
But you won't know your next super hit franchise, before it comes out.

 

[DriftingSpirit]

I think they're going in the opposite direction.

Quantity is priority now. It goes hand in hand with their GP plan.

 

[Trickster]

This thread feels 10 years late. It's been something people have said forever. And there's a reason that MS has been buying studios, they know they need more and better first party games

 

[gcwy]

Replacement? I was thinking more like a sub.

 

[MasterYoshi]

I think a proper Halo CE re-imagining using the Infinite "Slipspace" engine would be fucking awesome on new hardware and sell like absolute hotcakes. Add some new content to the story. Show what's going on with Thel 'Vadamee (the Elite who becomes The Arbiter) and give Captain Keyes and Sargeant Johnson more screentime and prominence. Also let's give Foehammer a face!

Would anyone be opposed to playing as Johnson during some non Chief missions? I'd also say Thel 'Vadamee but running around killing humans after playing as humans killing Covenant would probably be quite jarring.

Maybe have the same multiplayer for it as Infinite, but pour out all the Halo CE maps. They definitely shouldn't splinter the multiplayer if there are any more remakes coming down the pipeline.

My main point is that people long for Halo to get back to it's roots. I definitely don't think Halo multiplayer will ever have the staying power that it once had.

 

[Iron Eddie]

Nintendo has a way of revitalizing their existing IP's in ways Microsoft is so far unable to do. Although I am really excited over Gears Tactics but that won't be a huge game. I don't believe Microsoft had any real big success stories with new IP's they can build off of either. Their new studio in santa Barbara can hopefully be the new blood Microsoft needs.

 

[808s & Villainy]

And no this conversation can't wait to see what happens how Infinite turns out. We saw how 4 and 5 turned out. A Halo replacement should have been in the works since then. Infinite could be a 10/10 game critically but that does not garuntee player retention.

Click to shrink...

You act like a series can't be turned around. Zelda had "peaked" with Twilight Princess and had a downturn in popularity with Skyward Sword before BOTW returned it to being a phenomenon. MS can do the same with Halo with a reinvention that captures the "spirit" of the original titles and what they wanted to do, but couldn't, for tech reasons

 

[leng jai]

At least wait until Infinite comes out.

 

[litebrite]

The concern continues...

 

[LewieP]

I do kinda feel like they could maybe make the Forza model work for some of their other series. Two fundamentally different sub-series under one banner, so they can alternate between the two and still have new entries releasing on a regular basis.

Alternating between Forza Motorsport and Forza Horizon, and having two teams work on them, keeps things fresh, brings in two overlapping audiences, and gives them scope for more experimentation (see things like the Battle Royale mode in FH4).

Dunno if Halo would fit in this kind of model, but it seems to have worked great for Forza.

 

[Strings]

That's a lot easier said than done lol. Though I imagine it's what The Initiative is built to do (so we'll see how that ends up in ~3 or 4 years when the project releases).

 

[Deleted member 21709]

The upcoming Halo is the most exciting one since Reach.

 

[Justsomeguy]

They should buy some studios and form a new studio which could be a coalition of talent from around the industry.

 

[elenarie]

It has already lost like 90% of the playerbase in less than a month.

Click to shrink...

Which is as expected for a 10 year old arena shooter.

 

[ghostcrew]

I do kinda feel like they could maybe make the Forza model work for some of their other series. Two fundamentally different sub-series under one banner, so they can alternate between the two and still have new entries releasing on a regular basis.

Alternating between Forza Motorsport and Forza Horizon, and having two teams work on them, keeps things fresh, brings in two overlapping audiences, and gives them scope for more experimentation (see things like the Battle Royale mode in FH4).

Dunno if Halo would fit in this kind of model, but it seems to have worked great for Forza.

Click to shrink...

Could be 100% down with two different release models for Halo to be honest. One side doing massive AAA single player/co-operative Halo campaign. Other side doing strictly multiplayer release. Share tech but have them be seperate concerns and different releases. Play to each strengths.

I'm the guy who thinks Halo 5 multiplayer is the best Halo multiplayer yet. But I didn't love the campaign. I don't think that's a controversial statement.

 

[azeke]

Halo is Microsoft's most well known game.

Click to shrink...

Minecraft.

 

[Sho_Nuff82]

I think Destiny shows the "flaw" in the Halo model. Halo's gameplay is in service to its lore - Spartan abilities, sprint, various vehicles and new weapons, etc, are bound by the restrictions of the humanity vs Covenant or humanity vs Flood or humanity vs Prometheans conflicts, as laid out in the novels and official cannon. What's worse, is that MS has never been particularly interested in exploring this lore in the games themselves, so they are handicapping their gameplay possibilities for the small fraction of gamers who read everything offline.

Destiny, being a new IP, can do the opposite, and introduce new lore in service to gameplay. So every character can have a jetpack, and infinite sprint, and a hovercraft, and respawn, and magic, and over the top superpowers, and a nearly infinite configuration of armor and weapons because they can literally make it up as they go along. If they suddenly decide to scrap a few of the current races for Destiny 3 and go a completely different direction, or if they suddenly decide they want a weapon wheel and no carry limits, or if they want to introduce a new character class that can grow 20 feet tall, they can do that, because they aren't tied to the same legacy.

A complete fantasy IP, like Mario, can completely reinvent itself in a variety of ways. So can something more serious like God of War, which is based on myth. Barring a re-boot, the Halo series (and the Gears series) has to keep marching forward with variations of the same conflict until the wheels fall off.

As good as MCC, Halo 5, and Gears 5 ended up being, I think MS would do a disservice to all of the teams involved to only allow them to stay on the same 2 IP for another 7 years. If they must make story-driven games, new stories will allow new gameplay possibilities. Alan Wake -> Quantum Break -> Control vs Alan Wake 3, clearly we benefit from devs being able to stretch their legs.