Microsoft has revealed that they’ve hit records for engagements in the Xbox division during last quarter, as Halo Infinite is confirmed to have had over 20 million players, with Forza Horizon 5 trailing close behind at 18 million.
As revealed during the quarterly financial earning, both Halo Infinite and Forza Horizon 5 helped the company break records for overall engagement, as well as revenue during last quarter. Microsoft’s Chief Executive Officer Satya Nadella noted that Halo Infinite’s launch was the franchise biggest launch in history, clocking over 20 million players. 343 followed up with this announcement, thanking their fans.
With over 20 million Spartans joining us so far, we’re thrilled to announce that #HaloInfinite is the biggest launch in Halo franchise history!
— Halo (@Halo) January 25, 2022
Thank you, everyone, for joining us on the next step in this great journey. pic.twitter.com/d4EIsvWYVr
On the other front of exclusives that released during last quarter, Forza Horizon 5 also saw record breaking engagement, with over 18 million users having played the title since its release. It should be noted that both these titles are available on Game Pass, and in the case of Halo Infinite, its multiplayer component is free-to-play on both PC and Xbox platforms. Nonetheless, those numbers are impressive as well as being in line with Microsoft’s overall goals.
In case you haven’t already, be sure to read our Halo Infinite review! Our reviewer gave it high praise, stating the following, “All in all, Halo Infinite is a worthy entry to this legendary franchise. That is an achievement by itself. But what I really appreciated is the fact that 343 took risks. These risks are things that could have completely soured the experience and turned away even the most diehard fans of the franchise. In the end though, those risks paid off. Infinite is in my opinion, 343’s best Halo title yet, and I couldn’t be more excited to see where it goes from here.”