Recently, a GameSpot editor published an article stating that after the Bungie era ended, Halo gradually shifted from an industry leader to a trend follower, losing its former influence in defining console shooters. The series was once Xbox's flagship title and a major reason to buy the console, spawning numerous imitators and so-called "Halo killers."
The editor divides Halo's peak period into roughly a decade: Halo: Combat Evolved launched in 2001, and Halo: Reach concluded the era led by Bungie in 2010. In his view, Halo's subsequent slump has lasted longer than its time at the industry's center.
As for when the series began to shift direction, players may have different answers. The article lists 2009's Halo Wars, the Kinect support added in 2011's Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary, and 2013's Halo: Spartan Assault. The author personally considers Bungie's departure from the series as the clearest dividing line.
Halo Reach already introduced a loadout system, and Halo 4 further emphasized customization, making it a more prominent component. The author believes that this design, which resembles Call of Duty, means Halo started imitating other games rather than continuing to build its own identity. Halo 5's "Warzone" mode is also described by him as gameplay akin to a MOBA in name only, and there have been repeated signs over the years that the series was developing a battle royale mode.
The article recalls how the early Halo games revolutionized first-person shooters, with distinctive experiences brought by mechanics like carrying only two weapons at a time, sandbox design, and multiplayer modes. In contrast, while Halo Infinite reimagined traditional linear shooting through an open world, the author argues that this structure can still be seen in other titles and does not represent a wholly new direction for the series.
Halo Infinite also adjusted its battle pass to reduce the fear of missing out on time-limited content. However, the author believes the battle pass itself still reflects a trend-following problem. Meanwhile, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare propelled Call of Duty past Halo, battle royale and extraction shooters carved out their own markets, Counter-Strike continued to grow, Battlefield-style gameplay kept being experimented with, Doom and Wolfenstein were reinvented, and Bungie reshaped the first-person shooter experience again through Destiny and Destiny 2.
The editor attributes the series' performance over the past fifteen years to mismanagement and expresses regret over the significant layoffs at Halo Studios and the series being handed over to Activision. He worries that the next Halo will move even closer to Call of Duty, believing that the series can only reestablish a clear identity by sticking to its own unique characteristics.