Having trouble downloading Halo: Spartan Assault for your Windows Phone? Microsoft working on a fix

By Daniel Rubino
last updated

Last night at 7PM ET, the world finally got their hands on the highly anticipated first ever mobile Halo game, Halo: Spartan Assault. At least, that was the plan.

We already knew that here in the US, Verizon would have an exclusive for 30 days before those on AT&T, T-Mobile and Sprint could grab it, but as it turns out, a lot of others in the rest of the world also had difficulty getting the game.

This led some to believe that the game was also exclusive to the US and not their country, or within their country, certain carriers had an exclusive to it. As it turns out, neither is the case, though there is an issue at hand with the distribution of the popular game.

Microsoft’s Joe Belfiore took to Twitter today to address the complaints, noting:

“Any folks having trouble installing #SpartanAssualt outside the US- we're working on it, thx for info. May take a day or so to clear up.”

So there you go, you’ll just have to have some patience as Microsoft retools their servers to push out the update to all regions and countries.

For those of you who do have it, how are you liking it?

Source: Twitter; Thanks Ewert H. and Nathan H., for the tips!

Daniel Rubino
Daniel Rubino
Editor-in-chief

Daniel Rubino is the Editor-in-chief of Windows Central, head reviewer, podcast co-host, and analyst. He has been covering Microsoft since 2007 when this site was called WMExperts (and later Windows Phone Central). His interests include Windows, laptops, next-gen computing, and for some reason, watches. Before all this tech stuff, he worked on a Ph.D. in linguistics, watched people sleep (for medical purposes!), and ran the projectors at movie theaters because it was fun.

63 Comments
  • Yes, please fix it so it downloads to my L920 ;)))
  • And all those people calling me impatient.
  • Gah, I have at&t in the US... Noooooo!
  • This is probably the one and only time a Verizon WP customer will be able to gloat over an AT&T customer about some sort of Window's Phone exclusive... so let me say NaNa NaNa!  This game is Awesome!
  • Well, let me retort with: I'm on AT&T and already got it, and with Bing Rewards money, so I got it for free!
  • I am playing it on a much bigger screen...Surface RT. And unlike WP, it is not getting hot or draining the battery excessively. Loving it.
  • Please describe it for us.
  • Only about a 1/3rd through it. Definitely looks and sounds like Halo. Aiming is a bit tricky while manning turrets. My 8X does get hot, and sometimes there are frame rate issues. Would be nice to play it on a larger screen but its not worth buying twice (even though the first one I bought with Bing credits).
  • I put someone's Verizon SIM card in my att 920 and downloaded it first try. In US
  • I got it on my 920 without a SIM using the methods instructed on this page: http://wmpoweruser.com/how-to-get-halo-spartan-assault-on-your-att-windows-phone/
  • I got this from the last night, maybe downloading speed little bit slow but my lumia920 got this :)
  • The real problem is that you have to have a little more than 3x the size of the thing in order to install it. I had to delete a bunch of music until I had 2.4GB free, to install a 691 MB app. That's pretty poor.
  • I have 12gb of free storage left. So I'm good. Woo
  • I couldn't install it until 5GB, then it took like 1.5GB to install... Which is really weird because order and chaos installed with only 1.5GB available :O (I cleared a lot of space after!) I like the game - some missions are only like two minutes long while others take like ten. Controls are a little too twitchy for my taste, but I admittedly haven't looked for sensitivity changes yet.
  • Delete all pics, vids, music and maps... All can be added back afterwards.
  • You know, if they had just not bothered doing the exclusive thing in the first place...because I bet this is where the issue is coming from.
    Having the app store respond to what network you are using is horseshit. 
    iOS doesn't do this. You can use iOS devices all day long and get any app you want regardless of the carrier you are on, so why does MS feel the need to cather to exclusivity bullshit especially when Verizon isn't advertising their exclusive rights like they should be? any answer to that?
     
    I just find the whole idea absurd for anything that involves exclusive content. You are willingly telling a larger portion of your customer base to screw off just because they didn't pick the one carrier who paid the most money? Does exclusive content ever really work in the long run? I'd wager more people just lose interest after a week or so, MAYBE they come back but the sales tend to be better when 1. advertising occurs and 2. everyone can access the content right away. 
     
     
  • I bet you didn't even used android phone before, I bet your previous phone is an iPhone
  • You're right. I've gotten used to being able to download any app I want regardless of whatever carrier I am on.
    How is it right that the customers get shafted because they happened to be on another network? How is that fair to us? Because it isn't. 
     
  • MS is probably doing this so carriers are getting a better feeling with WP8, so they hope to create some goodwill about the platform and the carriers start to promote it more..? Something like that? Bet Apple would've done the same if they had to climb as much as MS needs to. Try to get some goodwill with the carriers by giving them exclusives and maybe, just maybe they will promote a WP8 device sooner then an iPhone. I guess.
  • It is the only way for OEM's and carriers to differentiate their Windows Phones over others. WP doesn't allow manufacturers to change the UI, so...
  • What? Carriers are limiting what phone you get, for instance you can't get the iPhone on every carrier, and when you can, the carrier has to spend an arm and YOUR leg to get. So what is worse, an app being exclusive for 30 days or a phone being exclusive for 30 months?
  • I'd change carriers for HARDWARE, but not for a game or an app.
  • I remember a time when only AT&T subscribers could buy apps from the app store, lasted about 4 years...
  • I'll take waiting a month for a game's release than a device with inferior hardware, but that's just me.
  • The iPhone itself was carrier based, at least in Europe
  • Oh please, consider the feeling of HTC user with all the exclusive for Nokia instead of all windows phone :P
    See how silly it is now?
  • What's silly is that Verizon didn't develop or even pay to develop for this app to come to the platform. This is Microsoft's game and thus should be available to their entire Windows Phone customer base. We should all be out in the streets showing off Halo while there is at least a little bit of attention on the launch of the game. THAT would be leveraging the XBox and Halo brands to help lift Windows Phone. This is doing a great job of "not so much".
  • You have no idea what Verizon paid, when they paid, or what the money was used for. I get you guys don't like the whole 30 day exclusivity (which isn't that long) but seriously...over react much?
  • I don't have any idea how much (or even IF) Verizon paid.  I do know that Microsoft doesn't need the money in exchange for such a short sighted move.  This is arguably the biggest differentiating game/app that Windows Phone has.  It should have been met with a big campaign and massive push on all fronts.  Don't get me wrong, I can get the game w/out waiting with either simple proxy spoofing or using my friend's Verizon SIM, but this isn't about ME; It's about what I see as mismanaging what could have been a source of exposure and growth.  Just my opinion, though.
  • Played till midnight on the RT. Good game with very good keyboard controls but still looking forward to upcoming xbox controler support. Game links to supporting comic with backstory on Commander Palmer and the new Spartans.
     
    Will also pickup the WP version when available for my 920.
  • No probs for me :)
  • It is also not working on some windows 8 computers according to reviews in the us too on my computer etc!
  • Same on my Surface RT, but my computer got it with ease.
  • Runs great on my phone...
    But, despite the fact that it heats up my 928 pretty fast, I also would love to see Microsoft adding 720p graphics (or cut scene), because the words and the background picture look so blurry that makes me think: why WP needs a 1080p screen (quad-core as well) if there is no app that use it? And yet they still stuck on the 480p resolution?
    $6.99 just doesn't seems to worth it, even MC4 runs smooth with 720p graphics.
    So yeah, I don't really appreciate what I got today. :(
  • I'm pretty sure it has high res graphics
  • Interesting. I see my carriers' logo on the app info page in Turkey. What does that supposed to mean?
  • Like the game so far, only complaint I have is character movement...its not very "continuous" like other top-down shooters I've played. It has too much "snap-to" in a given direction. Other than that, its good so far.
  • It's good to know the problem is not on my side. I've been switching region a few times since hours ago
  • I was able to via the code on your site. Scanned and was able to get an install button.
  • I'm having trouble getting it to work on Windows 8. Crashes on the title screen. It's stumped @xboxsupport.
  • Did you try reinstalling?
  • even hours after the 7PM EST launch you couldn't search for the game in the store/navigate the store via the phone to find the game without having a direct link.  now you can search it but navigating to the games section and tapping into "Xbox Live" "New + Rising" etc. doesn't show it either.  i have a lumia 928 on verizon.  it also doesn't show in the verizon section of the store on my phone.  most people won't find this game unless manually searching it or reading up on websites like this that directly link them to the game's page in the store.  sloppy execution on this launch.  mine installed fine with a direct link to the game's page.  game is awesome!
  • My life is awesome cuz I got this game before my friends who r on those other scrub networks. That's what they get. Verizon, Nokia, and this game r awsum. Everyone wants to play but can't, but I can... Its like I'm a movie star! All I hear is peeps crying cuz they don't have Halo Spartan. Sucks to be a scrub. Get on Verizon and get a Lumia or be a baddy and cry moar!! Game is so much fun!
  • I've seen to much stupidity on the internet to doubt if this is sarcasm.
  • Ur not a movie star until ur walking around playing on ur surface because it play magnificent the kickstand is awesome for balance while holding
  • Holy OP tablets, if someone was crazy smart they could b a bazillionaire just by making a case for the windows phone that hadda kick stand!!! Holy awesome sauce!!!
  • I smell a joint-venture in the works!! We will be rich!!!
  • "Cry some moor" I will cry into my new att exclusive Lumia 1020 I guess. Maybe I will feel like a movie star then
  • I am having trouble getting it on my surface pro (8.1 preview)
  • Ah finally
  • Thank god he tweeted
  • Great game but heats your phone pretty fast. I think lost 10% battery on one mission. More of a play at home game.
  • I know it's just a game so there is no need to get angry, but still. Microsoft not being able to publish their own game without problems is just sad. One would think that at least with a game like Halo which is pretty much a synonym for Xbox they would do good.
  • Alright well I can finally download here in Czech republic :D
  • I agree. This is embarrassing for MS. They hyped this game up and quashed the misunderstanding that only Verizon in the US are getting it, then they go a do this. If you are going to use the media to hype something up before it's released, then you're going to be in the spotlight for messing up the release of it. It all smells of forgetting that a world exists outside the US again. MS really need to up their game. They're a software house first and foremost, and if they cant launch their own software on their own operating system properly, then people really need to get their ass kicked.
  • I think they hve fixed.. Available in india..
  • Seems OK now for me here in the UK.
  • Same here in Sweden, downloading at the moment
  • It downloaded fine on my 928, but it crashes on the 4th mission. It's been pretty fun though.
  • Yay it's finally available here in Holland :D downloading right now, can't wait to play!
  • It has shown up for me in the last few minutes 820 vodaphone UK
  • Orange UK last night on the midnight :) now this content isn't available for my phone in the marketplace when I have this already installed :D
  • Wat? Assualt? Uhh typo detected!