Live service games have become increasingly prominent in the industry as games like Halo Infinite and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 seek to stretch out their content over the course of several years. While this model gives players reasons to keep coming back to the same game to experience new content, some gamers feel this leads games to be more restrictive than previous titles. In Halo Infinite and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, the restrictive nature of this model is clear, as popular content is frequently removed, only to be re-added later.
Many fans would argue that the peak of Halo and Call of Duty was during the Xbox 360/PS3 era, as games like Halo 3 and Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare offered a full breadth of content on day one. Other franchises such as Ghost Recon, Battlefield, and even single-player games like Assassin’s Creed have all implemented a live service, to varying appeal. Now, seemingly because of this live service model, Halo Infinite and Modern Warfare 2 have players frustrated that their favorite maps and modes are frequently removed.
Live Service Games Like Halo and Call of Duty Remove Player Choice
The business behind live service games requires content to be added periodically to continually incentivize players to engage with said titles more frequently. While many modern games do not offer any real-money spending options, this is the premise behind nearly every live service game. As such, popular modes and playlists in Halo Infinite and MW2 are likely removed in an effort to get players funneled into the specific modes that were promoted for the current update. This doesn't mean that they're gone for good, though.
It’s not a mystery that there have been development problems with Halo Infinite, and its free-to-play multiplayer has been a disappointment among fans and has failed to deliver on the basic premise of a live service game. In addition to fan-favorite modes like Griffball and Infection still being absent over a year post-launch, modes like Fiesta and Rumble Pit will often be inexplicably removed. The release of Forge and a Custom Games Browser has helped the community with the lack of content, but official modes are still kept to a minimum.
Modern Warfare 2 launched with a considerable amount of content on its own, and the release of Season One saw Warzone 2.0 and DMZ added to the mix. However, as Infinity Ward has continued to release further updates, fans have seen the addition of maps like Shoot House and Shipment, only for them to be removed mere weeks later. While the removal of a mode like Shipment 24/7 helps spread the player base, it also means the players who love that mode are now left with playing content they might enjoy less.
Removing popular modes from these games doesn’t just hurt individual players who enjoy playing them, but it hurts the community as a whole. One of the reasons Halo 3 was so popular and beloved was that it gave players all the tools and features necessary to create memorable experiences. No matter how players preferred to enjoy the game they bought, they were never forced down a specific path determined by the developer. Now, those experiences may be pulled away until a later date.
The current version of Halo: The Master Chief Collection serves as a near-perfect example of how to provide players with everything they need and let them make their own choices as to how they want to play. Players are able to fine-tune which modes they want to queue for in matchmaking, allowing them to access a massive library of content any time they log in, without needing to wait for a future update. Although the live service model is here to stay for the foreseeable future, giving players the freedom of choice is a value proposition every gamer can get behind.
Halo Infinite is available now on PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is out now for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
