HiddenXperia has been keeping the Halo communities voice relevant despite 343 Industries pitfalls.
By Alfie Boyd
As a franchise, Halo has had a turbulent decade to put it lightly. Since Bungie’s departure following Halo: Reach, its successor 343 Industries have released three mainline Halo games, all steeped in controversy in one way or another.
When Halo 4 launched in 2012, fans had numerous criticisms ranging from the art style to the gameplay mechanics being more Call Of Duty inspired than classic Halo. Following this, Halo 5: Guardians launched in 2015 to much of the same reception as a clear disconnect was apparent from what fans of the original game series were hoping for, and what 343 Industries had in mind. Fans had become disillusioned with the vision that the studio had for the franchise, and change needed to happen before the release of their third entry into the series.
A Voice For The Community
One such pillar of change was HiddenXperia, a British YouTuber and streamer that started his early career playing Halo: Reach and Call Of Duty: Zombies. From the very beginning, it was clear that HiddenXperia had a great interest in lore, particularly around Easter Eggs and story clues in Black Ops: Zombies. At that time, the Zombies mode for Call Of Duty was simplistic and atmosphere-based, with very few details behind the context, characters or overarching story. This made speculative content much more organic and engaging, as HiddenXperia attempted to piece together the sparse clues and hints at a wider lore and universe for the mode. Once Halo 4 released, his content pivoted towards covering information and guides around the multiplayer, and this continued into Halo 5: Guardians release.
However, HiddenXperia began to notice the rising sentiment that he and the overall community had come to, and with his video “Why Did The Arbiter Design Change Between Halo 2/3 And Halo 5?” He echoed much of the concerns that fans had of 343’s new style of Halo, calling for a return to the classic art style and gameplay that had made the series a console-defining franchise originally.
Surviving A Drought
Over the next few years, 343 Industries would begin developing their next entry in the series, whilst in the interim, Creative Assembly released Halo Wars 2, which featured the classic art style and returning characters from the first game. This only further fuelled HiddenXperia to discuss lore, news and discussions around the series, even despite the proclaimed “Halo Drought” in the years after the release of Halo Wars 2 due to 343 Industries not releasing new content for Halo 5 or giving many pieces of information on their new title.
It could be argued that HiddenXperia had a direct, key role in the directional change at 343 Industries during the development of their new title, as his content continued to focus on classic Halo lore and design, possibly inspiring 343 Industries to design their game in that style. When Halo: Infinite was announced at E3 2018, fans rejoiced as classic Halo had returned and the franchise was about to reach new heights, or at least, many thought so.
The Ensuing Flood
After many delays, Halo Infinite launched segmentally in 2021, with its multiplayer Beta releasing a month prior to its campaign. While initial opinion was vastly positive, as the months began to follow without any substantial updates or support for the game, many began feeling similar concerns as 343’s previous entries evoked. It became apparent that Halo: Infinite was in a situation much akin to Halo: The Master Chief Collection’s launch in 2014, missing many features and elements that were necessary for a successful Halo release.
During this disappointing time, it was clear that HiddenXperia had an understandable desire to cover a more varied range of topics, especially after the deflating decade of Halo titles. From nostalgic commentaries on past games such as Turok and Marathon, reviews of newer titles and even a return to discussing Call Of Duty: Zombies and how, much like the Halo series, it has strayed away from its original philosophies and concepts.
This was the case until recently, when suddenly and inexplicably, Halo: Infinite’s player-count began to skyrocket. Mostly as a result due to the gradual, albeit slow updating of Infinite, and the steep decline and failure of many recent live-service titles such as Overwatch 2. Halo was given the rare opportunity to revitalize itself and rejuvenate its playerbase, and with HiddenXperia’s recent announcement that he will be creating more lore content based around Halo and Bungie’s extraction-based reboot of Marathon, it’s clear that his passion for creating content based around the iconic Halo series hasn’t faded, and he will be a voice for the community for the future of the franchise.
Learn More About HiddenXperia On His YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@HiddenXperia/featured
