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Rapid Decline In Playtime For Halo 4 Steeper Than Halo Reach
In its first day of sales, Halo 4 amassed $220 million worldwide. But in the past 6 months most of the original players have jumped ship, leaving Halo 4 with fewer players now than Halo Reach had half a year into its own lifecycle according to a recent case study by Raptr.
In an effort to boost the amount of players, 343 Industries developed a series of 10 weekly episodes collectively known as Spartan Ops. While the content was meant to add more story beyond the main campaign to entice players to keep playing, the series has not aided the developer as much as it had hoped. But unlike Halo 4’s solid review scores, the extra content was not received as well.
Part of the problem is the inconsistency in the quality and breadth of the Spartan Ops episodes. Not enough original content was created in the making of the maps and missions are too repetitive to garner replay. 
While the sales of Halo 4 were impressive, keeping players entertained enough to continue playing the multiplayer and purchasing DLC long after beating the game is crucial to keeping a title in the public’s interest. Particularly with the used game debates on full blast, keeping a title from getting traded in or sold or put aside means that it is up to the developer to give gamers a solid reason to come back for more.
It has not been announced if a second season of Spartan Ops will be made. Perhaps if the studio follows our recommendations, 343 Industries could bring in more players.
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