Smyths/Engadget

Such a move would be huge for the Halo franchise. But it’s not all that shocking in 2020. Last year, for instance, Infinity Ward released Call of Duty: Warzone — a battle royale successor to Blackout, which was only available through Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 — as its own free-to-play experience. Unlike Halo Infinite, you still need Call of Duty: Modern Warfare to play the franchise’s more traditional multiplayer modes. The strategy is basically the same, however: offer something free-to-play in the hope that it gains a massive player base, then transition that interest into battle pass purchases and sales of the game that contains the campaign. (Or, in Microsoft’s case, additional subscriptions to Xbox Game Pass.)