Halo Infinite may end up being a stand alone Cloud experience, much like Fortnite, based on the latest round of rumors. It would make sense for Microsoft to be doing this, as it extends the Halo brand’s reach to mobile device users. In addition, it provides Microsoft a loophole of sorts to get around Apple and Google’s anti-competitive restrictions.
Window Central’s Jez Corden mentioned during the latest Xbox Two podcast that he heard a year ago about the possibility of Halo Infinite receiving the same treatment that Fortnite got with regards to not requiring a subscription to play via Xbox Cloud Gaming.
Corden said that Microsoft is doing this not only to get around iOS’ anti-competitive restrictions, but also to experiment with what they can do if they’re on Google Play. He said that he heard Microsoft was looking to offering more of such stand alone experiences, where, instead of downloading xCloud, you simply get a game from the Google store or the iOS store and it connects you to the Cloud version of said game.
He added that he believes this is the pathway to getting rid of Xbox Live Gold. Microsoft can potentially expand xCloud considerably and get lots of subscribers from mobile on board via these stand alone apps, ultimately offsetting the losses incurred from Xbox Live Gold. Corden believes such transitions are part of Microsoft’s long-term vision for Xbox.
According to Tom Warren of The Verge, Microsoft’s Xbox Everywhere initiative will soon allow you to play your bought games via Xbox Cloud Gaming. While no official confirmation from Microsoft has been received as of this writing, Warren has previously provided accurate information about the company’s future plans.
Warren also stated that Xbox Cloud Gaming will be increasing its reach in the near future by becoming available in more markets and on more devices, including new TV applications. People who have devices that can’t run Xbox Cloud Gaming won’t be disappointed, as Warren stated that Microsoft will offer a TV puck for this reason.
