What you need to know
- The latest armor bundle in Halo Infinite's microtransaction store is more expensive than previous collections despite 343 Industries' stated goal to reduce prices, leaving fans concerned.
- 343 Industries Community Director Brian Jarrard has commented on the situation, stating that to his understanding, the price is higher because of the quality of the items in the bundle and that there is no "global price hike" coming.
- Jarrard said he's looking to "dig into more questions with the team to provide more context," suggesting more concrete answers may be coming soon.
Halo Infinite's microtransaction shop has remained one of the game's most controversial features, as since the game launched in late 2021, fans have argued that the bundles available in it offer too little value and have too high of a price tag. In response to these criticisms, developer 343 Industries began an effort in January to lower bundle prices and include additional items in them. Bundles went from costing 2,000 credits ($20) down to 1,200 ($12), and in general, bundles have offered more unlocks than the ones that were available close to launch.
In a surprising move, though, the latest armor set bundle on the store (dubbed "Leadbelcher") has been priced at 1,700 credits ($17) instead of the usual 1,200. In response, fans have voiced concerns over the possibility that Halo Infinite store prices may be increasing.
343 Industries Community Director Brian Jarrard has commented on the matter, stating that the increased price was due to the rarity and quantity of the items in the bundle. "AFAIK this week is higher due to quantity and rarity of items in the bundle," wrote Jarrard. "Not a universal price hike."
AFAIK this week is higher due to quantity and rarity of items in the bundle. Not a universal price hike. Seems like this doesn't meet expectations for many and is part of the team's experimenting and learning. Note that much of the shop feedback will take more time to implement.June 14, 2022
It's good to hear that the developers aren't planning any kind of a global price increase, though players have pointed out that Halo Infinite's item rarity is arbitrary since the game has no randomized drop mechanics. On top of that, the new bundle also doesn't offer more items than previous ones, leaving many confused by Jarrard's comment. Jarrard clarified, stating that "'rarity' was the wrong word" and that "not all content items have the same cost of production."
Based on this response, it sounds like the Leadbelcher armor set is more expensive than other sets because the armor required more resources to create. Jarrard said he'd "love to see if we can dig into more questions with the team to provide more context," so hopefully the studio will provide more concrete answers soon.
Halo Infinite is available now on Xbox and PC. The campaign is excellent, and the multiplayer is completely free-to-play. Overall, despite some of its issues, it's still one of the best Xbox shooters out right now.
