Halo Infinite devs address backlash over surprise store bundle price gouge

Halo players have expressed their dissatisfaction with an unexpected increase in price for armor coating microtransactions. While 343 justified the change citing rarity, players aren’t convinced.

Microtransactions are always a source of frustration for gamers. From its initial release, gamers were disappointed with the high prices 343 were asking for to purchase bundle packs and even individual items.

After much outcry, it appeared as though the devs were on board for listening to community feedback and had even expressed their desire to reduce prices and make customization more accessible.

However, it seems as though they’ve done a backflip on this sentiment. Players have vented on social media at what is seemingly an increase in price for items that can be purchased in the Halo Infinite store.

Community Director Brian Jarrad detailed that this increase was not a universal spike, but for the specific bundle and items he described as “rare”.

Jarrad added community feedback in regards to microtransaction pricing has been heard and acknowledged but will take time to be implemented.

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“I’m not here to justify it either way, just explaining how the model currently works. Player feedback and more importantly player actions is how the team continues to learn and evolve,” he said.

While previous Halo titles such as Halo 5 Guardians did feature some form of microtransactions, Halo Infinite has placed a much larger emphasis on the system.

Historically, Halo multiplayer has always featured a long list of unlockable content for players to work towards. Some require hours upon hours of gameplay. However, most items could always be unlocked without requiring any added payment.

With unlockable items for multiplayer clearly reduced in Halo Infinite, this increase in exclusive paid armor and customization has been made much more apparent.

The release of Halo Infinite Season 2: Lone Wolves last month did bring back some players to the title.

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However, with so much content still missing from the game, such as the co-op campaign, players believe this price spike is a tone deaf move from 343 who are already struggling to maintain their support.