Halo franchise (software)
The Halo franchise is a series of highly influential first-person shooter (FPS) video games that debuted in 2001 with "Halo: Combat Evolved" for Microsoft's Xbox. This game was crucial in validating the Xbox console and significantly contributed to the rise of the FPS genre, appealing to a wider audience. Players take on the role of Master Chief, a cybernetically enhanced human, as they combat a hostile alien alliance known as the Covenant. The franchise includes several main titles, such as "Halo 2," "Halo 3," "Halo 4," and "Halo 5: Guardians," as well as various spin-offs like "Halo Wars" and "Halo: Spartan Assault."
The series was initially developed by Bungie, which transitioned the franchise to 343 Industries after its separation from Microsoft in 2007. The games are known for their engaging storylines, intricate multiplayer capabilities, and innovations like the Forge map creation tool. Halo's cultural impact extends beyond gaming; it has inspired novels, graphic novels, films, and even a television series. Over its lifetime, the franchise has sold more than 65 million units, establishing a significant presence in the gaming community and popular culture.
On this Page
Subject Terms
Halo franchise (software)
Console-based series of first-person shooter (FPS) video games developed by Bungie, Inc.
First released for Microsoft’s Xbox game console in 2001, the Halo games repopularized the FPS genre of video games and are considered Microsoft’s flagship video game titles. As a launch title, Halo: Combat Evolved validated the Xbox and was pivotal in its success. The Halo games were instrumental in opening video games up to a broader audience. The series also created a large fan base and culture with adaptations into other media, such as novels.
In the Halo games, players assume the role of the main character—Master Chief, a cybernetically enhanced human—as he fights a hostile alien alliance called the Covenant. The franchise is comprised of the main series games Halo: Combat Evolved (2001), Halo 2 (2004), Halo 3 (2007), Halo 4 (2012), and Halo 5: Guardians (2015), along with spinoff titles Halo Wars (2009), Halo 3: ODST (2009), Halo: Reach (2010), Halo: Spartan Assault (2013), Halo: Spartan Strike (2015), and Halo Wars 2 (2017). A remake of the first game, Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary, was released in 2011, and a remastered collection of the first four main-series titles, Halo: The Master Chief Collection, was released in 2014. The first three main-series games were developed by Bungie, a game studio that had been bought out by Microsoft in 2000. In 2007, Bungie split from Microsoft once more; the Halo property was then taken over by 343 Industries, a game studio created by Microsoft as a subsidiary. The Halo Wars games are real-time strategy games, of which the first was developed by Ensemble Studios and the second by Creative Assembly, while Spartan Assault and Spartan Strike are top-down twin-stick shooters developed by Vanguard Games. The series’ plot focuses on a war between humans and the Covenant, with environments that range from the tight interiors of spaceships to wide-open alien landscapes. Players have a host of human and alien weapons to choose from, as well as several air- and land-based vehicles. The name of the series is based on planetary ring installations called Halos, which play a key role in the overarching plot. The original three games received some of the highest video game ratings, with Metacritic ratings of 97, 95, and 94, respectively. The fourth and fifth received Metacritic scores of 87 and 84.
Halo: Combat Evolved pioneered the local area network (LAN) configuration setup for Xbox, allowing up to sixteen players to connect to each other with Ethernet cables. This contributed to a rise in popularity of social gatherings called “LAN parties” in which players brought their console and televisions to play with others. Halo 2 improved the experience by adding online play via Xbox Live, effectively bringing the LAN experience to anyone with an internet connection. Halo 3 improved further by adding the Forge, a feature which let players create and share custom maps. An online multiplayer Halo game based on the Halo 3 engine, Halo Online, was announced in 2015, but the release was cancelled the following year.
Impact
Halo: Combat Evolved ensured the success of Microsoft’s Xbox and sold more than six million copies in the ten years following its release. By 2015, the franchise as a whole had sold more than 65 million units. Halo 2 and Halo 3 set and broke records for launch day and pre-order sales, with the latter generating $170 million on its first day. The franchise established a canon that generated adaptations in novels, graphic novels, comic books, live-action webseries and films, and even a machinima (video created from edited in-game footage) series named “Red vs. Blue.” A television series was announced in 2013 and began filming in 2018. Halo 2 is also credited with popularizing alternate reality games with its I Love Bees marketing campaign. New games continue to borrow from the successes and innovations that Halo first established, from network infrastructure to user-interface design.
Bibliography
Buckell, Tobias. Halo Encyclopedia: The Definitive Guide to the Halo Universe. New York: DK, 2011. Print.
Haske, Steve. "The Complete, Untold History of Halo." Waypoint, 30 May 2017, waypoint.vice.com/en‗us/article/xwqjg3/the-complete-untold-history-of-halo-an-oral-history.
Makuch, Eddie. "What Master Chief Looks Like Under His Helmet, According To Halo's Co-Creator." Gamespot, 19 Sept. 2018, www.gamespot.com/articles/what-master-chief-looks-like-under-his-helmet-acco/1100-6461791/. Accessed 4 Oct. 2018.
Nutt, Christian. “Bungie in 2008: Reflecting on Halo 3, Moving Beyond.” Gamasutra. UBM TechWeb, 2 June 2008. Web. 28 June 2012.
Parker, Seb. “Halo: A Sales History.” VGChartz. VGChartz, 1 July 2011. Web. 27 June 2012.