‘Halo’ On PlayStation Is No Longer Unthinkable In The New Xbox Era

Microsoft wants to spread its Xbox games far and wide, and if that logic holds, bringing free Halo multiplayer to PlayStation is not an impossibility.

[TheEnigma313]

Yup the series x is MS' last console. They will go full blown gamepass

[Terry_B]

There might be one more console..and sooner or later they will go from downloads to streams only.

Its just a matter of time and will happen to every gaming platform except the pc I fear.

[Einhander1972]

"Its just a matter of time and will happen to every gaming platform except the pc I fear."

I mean, Microsoft has stated for years they envision a day when even Windows/PC itself will be cloud only.

In my opinion the whole reason they started Game Pass was to move gaming onto cloud through a subscription because they saw "gamers" as easier to manipulate with their thought being that if they could get enough public adoption of cloud gaming they would be able to use that as a door way to moving the entirety of computing into the cloud, which of course they would control.

But of course, luckily thus far their subscription growth hasn't been great and the billions of gamers they thought they were going to hook seems like a fever dream and cloud gaming is still off to a very slow to start

[EvertonFC]

Agreed it'll be the gen after I think but I wouldn't be surprised either if they didn't.
Maybe they'll go all digital though with a series S style console with cloud/AI help to boost specs ? And out GP on playstation and Nintendo day1.
It's all upto playstation and Nintendo weather they allow it though.

[shinoff2183]

I think we still got plenty of time. Sony and Nintendo are still doing an exceptional job with physical releases. Look how many small publishers are out there still doing physical. Some even as low as 1000 print runs. Good for Sony and Nintendo.

[crazyCoconuts]

On everything going to streaming,
not going to happen.
Our demand to push more data will continue to outstrip the advances to make streaming better...physics gets in the way.
Now we want 60fs...120fps...VR...
Local consoles will continue to be a thing one way or another.

[darthv72]

I am 51 years old. I watched the birth of this hobby, saw it mature into a titan of financial wonder, and will watch its demise as it becomes more of a streaming only enterprise with no more innovation or effort put into individuality of platform. Then i will die knowing all that i know and experienced will never again be known or experienced by the younger generations to come.

[crazyCoconuts]

@darth, that demise better come soon then ;-)

[Cacabunga]

I want killzone

[Inverno]

Makes you wonder why they took Bethesda games off PS in the first place.

[shinoff2183]

Maybe to see how being on xbox only would go.

[-Foxtrot]

I think back then it was like their last resort, Phil Spencers last big push to try and tip the scales in their favour sale wise. It would also show Microsoft higher ups that Xbox was still relevant as we've all seen past articles on how they wanted to sell Xbox off and the like until Phil Spencer had his way.

Making Starfield an exclusive was them using every tool at their disposal but since Xbox sales didn't improve and people continued to buy PS5s its obviously made them change their strategy.

[crazyCoconuts]

Not a slam dunk. Even if they're a distant last place and choose to not do exclusives they may still make one for their loyal GP fan base

[Profchaos]

The whole industry will likely go streaming that's the sad reality they are all pushing for.

When that happens I'll be strictly retro

[thorstein]

We'd need a new internet for that to happen. This one is too slow.

[Terry_B]

Yup...sadly that might happen. Only small teams will continue to let you download games. I guess the time of physical media in general is counted in some years as well aside of some obscure collector editions. Just look at the music and movie market already. There are less and less albums and movies available on cds, bluray or dvds.

[thorstein]

Sega survived after going 3rd party publisher. Microsoft could sit back and let Sony manufacture the consoles and reap the rewards.

[Profchaos]

Sega survived not thrived but they were lucky.
3d0 died after a few years of third party publishing on the 5th and 6th gen.
Atari died and was split up sold and only exists in brand name alone.

I know Microsoft has the bankroll to become 3rd party but it just seems almost impossible they would Microsoft don't like to participate in anything they don't control entirely it's always been that way in other areas eg they weren't in control of virtual machines at the start so they built hyper v to compete with VMware and made it free then built it into Azure now VMware is failing and was brought out

[Lightning77]

Lmao no they won't they have a new console in the works.

[XiNatsuDragnel]

It'll be matter of time imo.

[ApocalypseShadow]

Go 3rd party in 2027 and make it happen. Lol

[Travesty]

A proper reboot of the series 1-3 would be great.

I had good memories with the co-op and multiplayer. Back when you had to link you and your friend’s Xbox for local area network.

[TheColbertinator]

Honestly it doesn't bother me if so.

When I do play Halo, I play it on PC so no skin off my nose if certain consoles are no longer required.

Halo to me seems more distant in terms of quality and captivating story after 4. Creatively 343 is in a slump and can barely keep a cohesive grip on what snagged our attention back in the days of Bungie. Halo needs a significant storyline improvement for me to return.

Microsoft is a business first not your buddy or your family. If they decide Playstation or Nintendo can strengthen their financial records then do not be surprised to see them function as a 3rd party publisher in the years to come.

[AngainorG7X]

Keep dreaming 😭😭😭

[BehindTheRows]

I HIGHLY doubt most PlayStation fans will lose a wink of sleep if they miss out on a modern Halo game.

[spicelicka]

Because they never played it and just want to assume it sucks. It would be a huge success on playstation. This fanboy behaviour needs to end. It's easily one of the best multiplayer games on the market right now.

[BehindTheRows]

@spicelicka

No. Because they have other things to play and aren’t twiddling their thumbs waiting on a Halo game. Just because YOU think it’s “the best at whatever” doesn’t mean that it is.

The fanboy behavior is in those who think people are dying to play a game on a competing platform. If they wanted it that bad, they would have bought an Xbox for it. In fact, the only reason it would be coming to PlayStation is because less Xbox users are buying games. This isn’t a charity and Microsoft wouldn’t be doing it out of kindness.

[RaiderNation]

I'd buy Halo MCC.

[S2Killinit]

Question is, does anyone give a shit?

[DarXyde]

Yes.

It will make people both happy and furious, depending on who you are. Of course people will care.

These aren't my kind of games, but Halo being multiplatform isn't some "who cares" move. It is very literally a big reason people buy an Xbox. Same with Gears. Essential titles to the Xbox identity.

But the factionalism aside, I don't think Sony's biggest competitor becoming one of their biggest content providers is a good thing either (though I guess it's already happening with the ABK purchase). Personally, I would much prefer PlayStation does not get Halo because I think that's where they pop the champagne corks and really coast on goodwill. To an unseen level.

I'm not saying Microsoft is particularly competitive and I find their presence in the industry to be cancerous... But Microsoft as a direct competitor to Sony leaving without a good replacement competitor (let's say Samsung) is kind of a terrifying prospect.

Halo on PlayStation has further reaching implications than just to those playing Halo.

[ghostrider32]

Does the Playstation community even respect the Halo franchise?

[Crows90]

Respect is earned....so yeah probably not.

[-Foxtrot]

Like I've said, I doubt it will be the the newest Halo games but rather the older ones.

You might not see "Halo 7" but there's a chance in the far future to see the Master Chief Collection with cross play features.

[gunnerforlife]

Honestly as a PS owner since dmc1 first came out, I have never ever been jealous or had any sort of interest in Halo!! If any PS owner ever wanted to play Halo they'd have gotten an Xbox and halo. We had our Halo in killzone 2 and resistance 1 2 and 3. which were great games, and that was more then enough for the most of us!

If we were desperate for FPS those 2 games would have sold more then they did. Outside of COD, FPS don't really sell on PS consoles.

[fsfsxii]

all 3rd party titles sell better on PS systems, this has been known since the dawn of techonology lmao

[Lamusiqa]

From the moment they announced Gamepass, I knew they're going to go the SEGA route. Future Xbox hardware will be cloud gaming devices. We probably will have 1 more generation of standalone Xbox consoles before they go cloud-only. The adoption of 5G tech and fiber internet at home is just not widespread enough all over the world and likely won't be until 2030.

[smolinsk]

No games from Xbox matters on the playstation. Who cares? Especially Halo. A game that is dead and buried.

[spicelicka]

Lol except Sony itself thinks it matters or they wouldn't have bought freakin Bungie.... you know the studio that created it. This is why it SHOULD come on playstation so you can actually play and then decide. This childish "It sucks we don't want it anyway" dismissal keeps both sides from respecting and enjoying each other's good games. Regardless of what you think, both MasterChief collection and Halo Infinite are successful on Xbox and PC, and Sony doesn't have any comparable multiplayer exclusives.

[BehindTheRows]

Evidently Bungie weren’t happy where they were, or they wouldn’t have been up for sale to begin with with. 😉

In any case, we get it. You love Halo. Many don’t and couldn’t care less if it came to PlayStation. If Sony was worried about it, they’d just make their own game. They don’t have to buy publishers for their IPs.

[Crows90]

But you don't know who has or hasn't played it...after all...it's free to play. It's not like halo wasn't a big deal eons ago. I'm sure many ps fans tried it just like many Xbox fans have tried PlayStation games.

[smolinsk]

Off cause the game is forced to come to playstation now but what I'm saying is that nobody is asking for it and there's no need. And Bungie can also go away no need for them as well.

[Destiny1080]

they should have been playstation exclusive in the first place

[DiRtY]

The stupidity of the article is only topped by the comments on N4G.

[Magatsuhi]

This would be a great idea for MS. They see how much revenue cod brings on ps5 and now they want to spread that to their other games. Makes more financial sense in that regard instead of wasting money making and distributing a console that no one wants.

This will also unite most console players and leave a path open for a newcomer to compete with Sony.

[Sashamaz]

I think it is in Sony's best interest to follow this model, ecosystems will eventually supersede dedicated hardware. Sony needs to make their own PC launcher and allow customers to make one game purchase that will be available on their various hardware.

Additionally, they need to get back into the handheld business but instead of a custom OS go with a Windows based system that defaults to their launcher.

[ocelot07]

Everything you just said other than a handheld would kill playstation brand as we know it.

Sony have proven they don't need to go 3rd party. Their games sell as it is. Then 2-3 years after release bring the odd big title to pc and get extra money for them while playstation gamers get them as part of ps+.

Releasing their own launcher on pc is just absolutely stupid and a very bad idea.

EA tried it. Eventually went back To Steam as PC gamers mostly like to stick to Steam. Ubisoft tried and failed. Microsoft tried and failed now release all games on steam.

It sounds like you essentially want Sony to release their own handheld pc system rather than a portable playstation.

What I would like to see is for Sony to help the VR space. They have a great VR headset. Release psvr2 drivers on pc. Let the headset work with current pc vr games. As well as release VR games for both pc and ps5.

[Sashamaz]

The Launcher may not be immediately successful, however, even if it takes them a decade to get going, I believe this will be good for long-term success. Having an ecosystem and their own launcher does not mean abandoning the consoles or Steam. Give people a reason to purchase from your launcher such as buy it on PS launcher and also get it on your ps4/5 or wait 1-2 years to get it on Steam as usual.

This is not Sony going completely third-party, and since they dominate the console market it is not necessary.

A Sony handheld PC would go a long way in strengthening that ecosystem.

Mobile is a whole different beast which they are clearly trying to figure out so I can't wait to see how that goes.

Agreed on the VR.

[Jayszen]

I suspect that Microsoft will soon realize that it needs to let games from Zenimax/Bethesda and Activision thrive on rival consoles. Sure they can afford to keep games away from Playstation and subsidize the games division with earning from other MS divisions but investors will soon baulk at the cost of AAA gaming and the relative returns from Gamepass.

Of course, MS might choose to emulate Sony but I doubt it as the mindset is very different.

[Crazyglues]

:)

[frostypants]

Halo has been a mediocre FPS since the original. I never understood the love it gets. The gunplay is simply vanilla, the movement feels floaty, the enemies come off as a bit cartoony and not all that scary, etc.