Microsoft established 343 Industries to direct the franchise going forward, and has produced games itself and in partnership with other studios.Ĭombat Evolved was a critical and commercial success, serving as the Xbox's ' killer app' and cementing Microsoft as a major player in the video game console space. Bungie regained its independence in 2007, releasing additional Halo games through 2010. The latest main game, Halo Infinite, was released in late 2021 as a free to play beta, and then had the campaign release later that year.Ĭombat Evolved started life as a real-time strategy game, then became a third-person shooter, and finally a first-person shooter releasing as an exclusive on Microsoft's new Xbox video game console after Bungie was acquired by the company. The series launched in 2001 with the first-person shooter video game Halo: Combat Evolved and its tie-in novel, The Fall of Reach. Halo is a military science fiction media franchise, originally created and developed by Bungie and currently managed and developed by 343 Industries, part of Microsoft's Xbox Game Studios.
