Halo (franchise)

Halo
Logo since Combat Evolved Anniversary
Genre(s)	First-person shooter (primary) Real-time strategy Twin-stick shooter
Developer(s)	Bungie (2001–2010) Halo Studios (2011–present)
Publisher(s)	Xbox Game Studios
Platform(s)	Xbox Windows macOS Xbox 360 Windows Phone iOS Xbox One Arcade Xbox Series X/S
First release	Halo: Combat Evolved November 15, 2001
Latest release	Halo Infinite December 8, 2021

Halo is a military science fiction video game series and media franchise, originally developed by Bungie and currently managed and developed by Halo Studios (previously 343 Industries), part of Microsoft's Xbox Game Studios. The series launched in November 2001 with the first-person shooter video game Halo: Combat Evolved and its tie-in novel, The Fall of Reach. The latest major installment, Halo Infinite, was released in late 2021. Spinoffs include real-time strategy and twin-stick shooter games.

Combat Evolved started life as a real-time strategy game for the Macintosh computers, turning into a first-person shooter exclusive to the Xbox video game console after Bungie was acquired by Microsoft in 2000. The success of Combat Evolved led to two sequels before Bungie regained its independence in 2007. Bungie released additional Halo games through 2010 before moving on from the franchise. Microsoft established 343 Industries to oversee Halo going forward, producing games itself and in partnership with other studios.

Combat Evolved was the Xbox's flagship "killer app" and cemented Microsoft as a major competitor in the video game console space. The games have sold more than 81 million copies worldwide. With more than $6 billion in franchise sales, Halo is one of the highest-grossing media franchises of all time, spanning novels, graphic novels, comic books, short films, animated films, feature films, fan-made short machinima animations and other licensed products.