It has been nearly a year since Halo 4 launched, and over that time, the game's online portion has struggled to find its footing.
The chart below (courtesy of Reddit) provides a visual representation of just how small the Halo 4 user base has become. Considering how popular and pivotal the Halo franchise has been in the online space in years prior, it's shocking to see how drastic the drop-off has been.
I must confess, I too have fallen off the Halo 4 bandwagon, despite loving the game quite a bit. 343 Industries made a lot of changes to the Bungie's formula, ultimately speeding up the game, making it a bit more comparable to the likes of Call of Duty.
I don't know about you, but I miss the simpler days of Halo 2 and 3, when the game was a bit slower paced and more methodical. There weren't armor abilities, loadouts, or upgrades to worry about—just pure Halo competitive goodness.
With Halo 3 coming free via Games With Gold in just a few days' time, let's hope the spike in numbers sends a signal 343i's way. As the folks at the studio work on Halo for Xbox One, you've got to imagine they're exploring ways to win back fans of the series. 343i, May I suggest you take the franchise back to its roots? Sometime less is more.
[Reddit]
