Halo Infinite has been a huge success for Microsoft in terms of player count, with over 20 million people have already downloaded the game, but there’s one area where it hasn’t had as much of an impact.
Despite some early success, Halo Infinite’s viewership peaked just over a week after its release, and then rapidly declined. Now? It’s usually near the bottom of the site’s top 25, if not the top 50. It’s currently the 70th most popular game on the site, just a month and a half after its release. Granted, this could change if one or two major streamers join, but the trend is undeniable.
Streamer CourageJD noticed this and came up with his own theory. Call of Duty: Vanguard and Battlefield 2042 are both under-watched on Twitch, and he’s right. Both games are performing poorly in comparison to Halo Infinite.
Another factor to consider is that both Call of Duty Vanguard and Battlefield 2042 have received mixed reviews from their respective playerbases. Because of how bad 2042 has been in many ways, some are writing Battlefield off completely, but that isn’t the case with Halo Infinite. The game received positive feedback and was well-received by players. It has a large player base, which many think would translate to higher viewership than what many are seeing now.
Many people believe it’s a combination of factors, and they agree with Courage that traditional shooters are losing ground to the more trendy competition, such as battle royales, survival games, and CSGO-style elimination games. This is why games like Fortnite, Valorant, Apex Legends, Tarkov, Warzone, and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive have remained at the top of the charts for so long. GTA V roleplay, new debuts like Arceus, and old MOBA staples League of Legends and DOTA 2 fill the remaining gaps. Traditional, team-based shooters aren’t as popular as they once were. Despite all of the issues with, say, Overwatch, it consistently outperforms Halo.
Many people also believe that there are some Halo-specific issues, that there is a lot of cheating in Halo on PC, where most streamers would play, and that they don’t want to deal with it. Since launch, ranked play has been a bit of a mess in the game, and the higher up the skill chain you go, the more frustrating the game becomes, which does not make for an enjoyable, entertaining streaming experience. While a few dedicated Halo esports events have done well on Twitch, general day-to-day play simply does not compare to these other games, and there are still too many issues to be resolved.
Many people also believe that there are some Halo-specific issues, that there is a lot of cheating in Halo on PC, where most streamers would play, and that they don’t want to deal with it. Since launch, ranked play has been a bit of a mess in the game, and the higher up the skill chain you go, the more frustrating the game becomes, which does not make for an enjoyable, entertaining streaming experience. While a few dedicated Halo esports events have done well on Twitch, general day-to-day play simply does not compare to these other games, and there are still too many issues to be resolved.
