>>533924506
That pasta is only annoying because it's a pasta but it's 100% accurate nonetheless.
Halo's staying power has always been its campaign, aesthetic, and unique universe.
The multiplayer sensation being as big as it got to was a bubble that artificially ballooned due to the Console Online play wave and a lack of initial serious competition, and now the bubble has finally burst. You will see TikTok clips of kids that have no interest in playing either MCC multiplayer or Infinite multiplayer, but they all know the theme song and like to chant it in gymnasiums or bathrooms or whatever. That should tell you everything you need to know about how much more important the PvE side of things is.

>>529797456
>The cope that Microsoft involvement in Halo was good
This is a strawman misdirection.
Bungie was, is, and always will be an overambitious studio who's aspirations get the better of them time and time again. That was as true as it was with Halo as it was with Destiny and now Marathon.
Halo and Halo 2, as they are, were the result of that ambition being kept in check by Microsoft, which created the idea circumstance that led to two timeless classics. After that, Bungie took their foot off the gas with 3 and Reach to avoid the stressful situation of overworking to meet a deadline and the results speak for themselves. With Reach especially they were a fully independent company and it was their worst game in the series.
Trying to boil this down to "bungie good, Microsoft bad" is a foolish oversimplification and misunderstanding of history.