Look, I would go as far to say that this is important enough to delay the game over, but that’s not something everyone seems to agree with, so, hear me out on this compromise.

The sandbox is Halo’s unique selling point in the shooter genre, I’d argue it’s the most important aspect that will separate it from the rest. 343 knows this I’m sure, which is why you’re constantly hearing it in their marketing.

Now, how are you going to have a sandbox driven game release half a year prior to its own actual sandbox tool? I’m sorry, but this should be a bigger priority to people than it currently is. Yes, we’re all Halo fans, and we love it for so many more reasons than just its sandbox, and yes, we as fans can still enjoy the game without forge. But that’s not my point here, my point is that to everyone else out there, Halo MP is just another shooter. Halo has something up their sleeve that no one else does… forge and customs. If they played this correctly, and had the full tool set there at launch, combined with a customs browser, then this game would be truly special to masses.

That first initial wave of players is so important, and it makes me sad to think that the general audience might not return to see the full potential of this game 6 months after release.

If nothing else, at least release forge in season 2, instead of season 3. Can we agree that it’s better to have a barebones forge closer to launch, than wait for an expansive forge 6 months down the line? Being able to do basic Halo 3 level edits to a map would do so much to the longevity of the game’s MP community.

I propose they cut as much as is needed, and release the more complex forge features later down the line.