Xbox Game Studios and 343 Industries releasedHalo Infiniteat the end of last year, and it quickly became one of the most popular releases of December and 2021. According to analysts at the NPD Group,Halo Infinitebecame the second-best selling game of December despite being available on Game Pass.
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Halo Infiniteis a cross-generational title as it released on Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S, suggesting that the playerbase is mostly split between the former generation and next-generation of consoles. When looking at the Xbox platform sales from December 2021, NPD Group highlightsHalo Infiniteas the best-selling title of the month. The rest of the NPD Group top-twenty of December includePokemon Brilliant DiamondandShining Pearl,Mario Kart 8,Spider-Man: Miles Morales, andForza Horizon 5, and the analysts have also broken down each platform’s sales.
On top of its sales success,Halo Infinitealso includes live service add-ons such as a Battle Pass and purchasable cosmetics that allow players to customize their Spartans. This is also the case with the best-selling title of December,Call of Duty: Vanguard, while other titles on the top twenty such asMadden NFL 22,NBA 2K22, andBattlefield 2042offer similar in-game purchases. BecauseHalo Infinite’s multiplayer is free-to-play, this gives 343 Industries another potential revenue source as the game evolves from one season to the next.
TheCall of Dutyseries often retains the number one spot each year according to NPD statistics and that’s no different withCall of Duty: Vanguard’s sales in December. AlthoughCall of Duty: Vanguardwas able to become the best-selling game of December,Vanguardhas soldworse thanCall of DutyBlack Ops: Cold Waroverall. BecauseHalo InfiniteandCall of Duty: Vanguardboth released towards the end of 2021, they may see even more players join the action than the ones currently tracked by NPD Group.
It remains unclear how much live-service titles from 2021 likeHalo InfiniteandCall of Duty: Vanguardhave made from additional content since their release, butHalo Infinitemay have an edge in this regard being free-to-play. Game spending rose in 2021 compared to 2020 by 8%, according to NPD Group, suggesting that 2022 will see continued growth. More content is expected to release forHalo Infinite’s multiplayeras 343 Industries adds to the free-to-play version of the game, potentially attracting even more players.
Halo Infiniteis available now for PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
