Battlefield 2042 and Halo Infinite have had their fair share of struggles in the last year or two. Neither title did a very good job of retaining players owing to various issues, from stability to content delivery, and from a lack of a competitive scene to poor people management. However, thanks to a change in circumstances for both titles, a surge of players have found their way back into these two games over the last week or so.

It’s a global testament to not just the staying power of these games, but the dedication of the development studios driving them. With a ‘never give up’ attitude, both EA DICE and 343 Industries have effectively revived their respective titles months after they were written off by many gamers the world over. It’s a perfect representation of what can be done with a little hard work, tenacity, and some top-tier marketing.

It’s Not Over Until It’s Over

For Battlefield 2042, the killer move came in the form of a free-play weekend across all platforms. It coincided with the start of the Modern Warfare 3 beta, which many thought was a risky move, but it turned out to be a wise one for Electronic Arts. In the space of a few days, Battlefield 2042’s player count soared higher than ever before. On Steam, a peak player count of 103,492 users was recorded, which smashed the previous record – notched up at launch – of 100,590 users.

Halo Infinite didn’t reach such lofty heights, but the sizeable resurgence came around the same time as the Halo World Championship, which coincidentally became the most-watched esports tournament in Halo history. On October 17th, 343 Industries pushed out the Season 5 update for Halo Infinite, introducing some fan-favourite content to the game’s ecosystem. It proved to be a hit, and the peak player count soared to levels that haven’t been seen for more than 18 months.

Some monumental releases on the near horizon will claw back some of that overall market share, but for now, it’s permissible for Halo Infinite and Battlefield 2042 to bask in the glow of success.

Free Always Works

It might sound obvious, but going free-to-play – even temporarily – is something that will always revive a game. In January 2022, PUBG went free-to-play and smashed peak player records on Steam, skyrocketing to 3,236,027 concurrent players. It’s a lofty record that hasn’t even nearly been touched by another game since, and it likely never will. With the rise of battle royale games, a free-to-play revolution took hold of the gaming industry, and gamers started expecting more for free.

Related: PUBG Wonder Creators Network Revealed

Fortnite, Apex Legends, Fall Guys, Rocket League, Call of Duty Warzone — they’re all either free or pivoted to a free-to-play model and did so with staggering levels of success. There were rumours for the longest time that Battlefield 2042 would be going free to play, but they were quashed. However, if this last weekend is anything to go by, maybe that’s something that EA should at least consider.

After all, when The Sims 5 is released, that too will be relying on a free-to-play, live-service operating model, and that’s one of EA’s most iconic franchises.