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The last quarter of 2021 saw major first-party game releases from Microsoft, with the launch of “Forza Horizon 5” in November and the free-to-play online multiplayer “Halo Infinite” the following month. Now, the company revealed both games have seen a massive influx of players after only being in the market for less than three months.
Microsoft’s earnings call for the second quarter of its fiscal year 2022 was held on Tuesday, where the company revealed significant numbers for its gaming business. “Halo Infinite” and “Forza Horizon 5” are arguably two of the biggest game releases in 2021, and they already appear to be widely successful games so far.
Microsoft confirmed that “Forza Horizon 5” has been played by 18 million players since it launched last Nov. 9, while more than 20 million fans have joined “Halo Infinite” so far. However, the company did not provide specific details about the player base.
The said numbers are not equivalent to sold copies, though, as it is likely that a large portion of those player count is likely from Xbox and PC Game Pass subscriptions. Microsoft noted that it was great news for the “Halo Infinite,” noting that it had the biggest launch in the history of the franchise.
Developer 343 Industries managed to release the game on time last Dec. 8 by making the online multiplayer available first while they continue working on the campaign co-op mode. As mentioned, the online multiplayer was made free-to-play, which likely contributed to the large number of players joining the game in the first months. But the upcoming campaign mode will be a paid game unless fans have an active Game Pass subscription.
Overall, the company reported a good quarter for its video games division. As for the Game Pass, Microsoft announced that the subscription service currently has more than 25 million members. And Microsoft has once again suggested that the Game Pass is one of its services to benefit the most in its ongoing acquisition of Activision Blizzard for nearly $69 billion in cash.
“With our planned acquisition of Activision Blizzard, announced last week, we are investing to make it easier for people to play great games wherever, whenever, and however they want, and also shape what comes next for gaming as platforms like the metaverse develop,” Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said.
