Halo Infinite and Monster Energy are teaming up to bring players XP boosts, weapon skins, Snapchat filters, and more, all in commemoration of a game that's famously been delayed till next year. Halo Infinite was one of the most anticipated titles in recent months, and was set to appear as a flagship launch title for the Xbox Series X. However, as demo gameplay was shown off during online streams, fans began to complain that its visual quality was severely lacking. For that reason and others, the game was delayed to 2021.
This delay puts Microsoft in a pretty sticky situation, financially speaking. The company's next-gen console is now very short on exclusive launch titles, especially when one considers that most of its games will be launching for Windows, too. There are simply fewer reasons to invest in an Xbox Series X over a PlayStation 5 when the consoles release at the end of this year.
It looks like Microsoft will still be getting some money from Master Chief this year, because Halo Infinite's cross-promotion with Monster Energy is plowing on full steam ahead. In a recent update from Xbox Wire, Microsoft revealed the details of the promotion, which will run from September 1st to the end of 2020 and thus end well before Halo Infinite is released. Each Halo-branded can of Monster Energy bought during that period will come with a 30-minute XP boost in the game, which doubles XP gained in multiplayer matches. Customers can bank these boosts so that they're ready to use when the game finally does come out.
In addition to the XP boosts, players can unlock special Snapchat filters that will let them look like Master Chief. They can also enter a sweepstakes that will reward 200 lucky contestants with a new Xbox Series X, and 10 winners will get a trip for two to Paris for a hotel stay, all-inclusive flights, a zero-gravity experience, and $1,000 cash. Monster Energy is also bringing its distinctive black and green color scheme to several in-game weapons and cosmetics that customers can unlock by buying its energy drinks.
It's certainly a bold move to merchandise so aggressively for a game that was delayed a year in what is generally considered a failure on Microsoft's part. Cross-promotions between video games and food products are certainly nothing new for either industry, but generally a cross-promotion like this does coincide with the actual release of the game. One wonders just how hard it would have been for Monster Energy to pull back their Halo Infinite cans following the delay.
There's certainly nothing wrong with buying Monster Energy drinks, assuming one does in fact enjoy Monster Energy. But this cross-promotion, persevering despite the calamitous delay, really stinks of desperation. Buying into the event calls for a lot of patience on the part of the Halo Infinite player, and it's easy to picture those double XP boosts sitting unused in inventories around the world when the game launches. After a reception like the one it got from fans followed by a huge delay, Microsoft is going to need to do a lot more than shill energy drinks in order to keep players excited for Halo Infinite.
Source: Xbox Wire
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