YAY (Destiny)

by Kermit , Raleigh, NC, Friday, September 25, 2026, 14:34 (2 hours, 29 minutes ago) @ Robot Chickens

Halo 4 lost 80% of its population in 3 months

Was it a single player game though?

It was stepping into the space of previous halo games in which multiplayer was a big part of the game. I mostly agree with the above point, but halo straddled that space and low retention reflected the quality of the shipped product to some degree. I know I played the campaign twice and stopped playing- and I was someone rooting for 343 at the time.

However you define single versus multiplayer, retention was always a part of the Halo success formula. Those games became THE primary game for many people, and they played it until a new one came out. (I doubt I have to tell anyone here that. We lived it.) And to the make the demarcation between Bungie and 343 a little less defined, retention dropped off after Halo 3. Some of that had to do with changes in the gaming industry, changes in the gaming audience, and increased competition, and some of it had to do with the fact that some gamers viewed Halo 3 as the final game, much like some think of The Final Shape as a good place to quit Destiny. Many in Bungie would have preferred to end Halo with 3, but they legally had to do two more, so they did, thank goodness. ODST is a such a jewel, and Reach is my desert island game.