Battlefield 2042’s player count is now officially greater than Halo Infinite’s, despite the game’s reported struggles, and the size of the difference has surprised players — especially as Halo is free-to-play.
The launch period for Battlefield 2042 and Halo Infinite couldn’t have been more opposite if they’ve tried. A lackluster and bug-filled beta already had Battlefield players increasingly worried about the game ahead of its debut, and it showed as its player count dropped off big-time.
Whereas Halo Infinite’s free-to-play strategy initially worked wonders for 343 Industries’ sci-fi, multiplayer title. Things got so bad for EA and DICE that they admitted Halo’s success had seemingly had a negative impact on the game.
In a massive turn of events though, it appears not only has Battlefield 2042 managed to steady the ship, but it’s managed to completely get the upper hand over one of its major competitors.
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Halo Infinite is now lagging behind Battlefield 2042
Industry insider Tom Henderson, who provided a lot of details ahead of both game launches, Tweeted out a startling statistical comparison between both games and how much their player count numbers have differed.
Henderson said: “Battlefield 2042 has managed to retain a pretty decent player base since Season 1 launched and now has 3x the players on Steam than Halo Infinite MP which is free-to-play.”
The evidence was there to see in the Steam Charts figures — which don’t represent both games on all their applicable formats but are useful for getting a rough idea.
Battlefield 2042 has managed to retain a pretty decent player base since Season 1 launched and now has 3x the players on Steam than Halo Infinite MP which is free-to-play. pic.twitter.com/YjjiB3XKWo
— Tom Henderson (@_Tom_Henderson_) July 5, 2022
There are two big things to note here, the first being that the surge in players for Battlefield 2042 will no doubt have been helped by its long-awaited Season 1: Zero Hour launch, and equally underwhelming opening of Halo Infinite Season 2.
Secondly, it’s even more impressive when you consider that Battlefield 2042’s player count consists of paid players, and Halo’s free-to-play element is struggling to attract gamers.
It will be fascinating to see if EA and DICE can retain players a few weeks from now, and how much of a swing we could potentially see when Halo Infinite’s new season has its time to shine.