Wikipedia

Halo (franchise)

(Redirected from Halo: Nightfall)

Halo is a military science fiction video game series and media franchise, originally developed and created 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.

Halo
Logo since Combat Evolved Anniversary
Genre(s)
Developer(s)
Publisher(s)Xbox Game Studios
Platform(s)
First releaseHalo: Combat Evolved
November 15, 2001
Latest releaseHalo Infinite
December 8, 2021

Combat Evolved started life as a real-time strategy game for personal computers, turning into a first-person shooter exclusive to the Xbox video game console after Bungie was acquired by Microsoft. Bungie regained its independence in 2007, releasing 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 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. Its sequels expanded the franchise's commercial and critical success, and have sold more than 81 million copies worldwide. With more than $6 billion in franchise grosses, Halo is one of the highest-grossing media franchises of all time, spanning novels, graphic novels, comic books, short films, animated films, feature films, and other licensed products.

Plot

edit

Many millions of years ago, a species known as the Precursors assumed the Mantle of Responsibility - the guardianship of life in the galaxy. The Precursors chose an ancient form of humanity as their successors, over another species known as the Forerunners. In retaliation, the Forerunners attacked their former masters and drove the Precursors into extinction. Instead of fighting back, the Precursors allowed themselves to die, with some turning into dust intended to spread and later transform into themselves once again. This dust eventually became defective, infecting and contorting organisms into a new parasitic species, connected by a hivemind to the minds of the last Precursors: the Flood. The Forerunners sent the humans to Earth, reverting them to a primitive civilization based in Africa, and fought the Flood, which spread through an infestation of sentient life and overran much of the Milky Way Galaxy. Exhausting all other strategies, the Forerunners conceived the Halo Array— ring-shaped megastructures and weapons of last resort that would destroy all sentient life in the galaxy to stop the Flood. A civil war began between the Forerunners' commander, known as the Ur-Didact, who wanted to assimilate all the humans on Earth into his army as AIs, thus immune to the Flood, and his wife, the Librarian, who created the Ark, an instrument that was to shelter sentient species outside the galaxy and allow for the mass creation of Halo installations which could all be activated simultaneously. The Librarian, along with all the remaining Forerunners, trapped her husband inside a Forerunner repository of knowledge known as the Domain, and disappeared as the Array was activated, thus destroying all sentient life in the galaxy and ending the outbreak of the Flood— though some Forerunners are known to have left the Milky Way galaxy for a different, unknown galaxy.[1]

 
A human ship approaches a Halo megastructure under construction. Portions of the Ark are visible at the bottom. From the video game Halo 3 (2007).

Nearly a hundred thousand years later, in the 26th century, humanity— under the auspices of the Unified Earth Government, or UEG, and their United Nations Space Command, or UNSC— has colonized many worlds thanks to the development of faster-than-light "slipstream space" (i.e., hyperspace) travel. Tensions between the government and colonies desiring independence sparked violent clashes. The UNSC's Office of Naval Intelligence (ONI) created the SPARTAN-II Project to create an elite group of enhanced supersoldiers to suppress the rebellions covertly. In the year 2525, human worlds came under attack by a theocratic alliance of alien races known as the Covenant, whose leadership declared humanity heretics and an affront to their gods: the Forerunners. The Covenant began a genocidal holy war. Their superior technology and numbers proved to be decisive advantages; although effective, the Spartans were too few to turn the tide of battle in humanity's favor. After the Covenant invaded Reach in 2552, the UNSC's last major stronghold besides Earth, Master Chief John-117 was left as one of the few remaining Spartans.

The rediscovery of the Halo rings later that year set the humans against the Covenant, who believed they were instruments of transcendence, not destruction. Master Chief and his artificial intelligence Cortana are instrumental in the destruction of a Halo ring to stop the Covenant and the threat of the Flood. Master Chief defeats the Prophet of Regret, leading to the Prophets of Truth and Mercy denouncing the Sangheili race as no longer the most honorable species amongst the Covenant. This began a civil war within the Covenant, with many grappling over the revelation that their religion was false. The disgraced former Covenant Sangheili commander known as the Arbiter, along with the rest of his race, helped the humans destroy the Covenant and stop the Prophet of Truth from activating the Halo Array via the Ark. The Human-Covenant War ended, though new conflicts began to emerge throughout the universe.

In the post-war era, the UNSC trains a new generation of Spartans, and tensions between the UNSC and colonist rebels resumed. The Master Chief and Cortana accidentally free the Didact and he briefly returns to assert supremacy over humanity, though he is foiled by the pair, resulting in Master Chief initially believing Cortana dead in the attempt. Cortana's survival through the Domain leads her to break with the UNSC and assert a new hegemony over the galaxy, with artificial intelligence (the "Created") in control.[2] After two years of a scattered war between Cortana and the UNSC, Cortana attacks the Banished, a mercenary organization largely led by the Jiralhanae race. The Banished win the resultant conflict, terminating Cortana and battling the UNSC for control of Zeta Halo.[3]

Game series

edit
Further information: List of Halo media
Release timeline
Mainline number entries in bold
2001Halo: Combat Evolved
2002–2003
2004Halo 2
2005–2006
2007Halo 3
2008
2009Halo Wars
Halo 3: ODST
2010Halo: Reach
2011Halo: Combat Evolved (remaster)
2012Halo 4
2013Halo: Spartan Assault
2014Halo: The Master Chief Collection
2015Halo: Spartan Strike
Halo 5: Guardians
2016
2017Halo Wars 2
Halo Recruit
2018Halo: Fireteam Raven
2019–2020
2021Halo Infinite

2001–2010: Bungie games

edit

Video game developer Bungie was founded in 1991 by Alex Seropian in Chicago, Illinois, who partnered with programmer Jason Jones to market and release Jones' game Minotaur: The Labyrinths of Crete. Focusing on the Mac game market because it was smaller and easier to compete, Bungie became a preeminent game developer on the platform. What became Halo: Combat Evolved started as a real-time strategy game for the Mac, originally code-named Monkey Nuts and Blam!,[4] and took place on a hollowed-out world called Solipsis.[5] The planet eventually became a ringworld called "Halo", which became the game's title.[6]

Halo was announced on July 21, 1999, during the Macworld Conference & Expo.[7] The game morphed from a real-time strategy game into a third-person action game.[8][7][9] On June 19, 2000, Microsoft acquired Bungie and Halo: Combat Evolved became a launch title for the Xbox video game console.[10] The game turned into a first-person shooter, and was modified to work with a controller. Though the first Halo was meant to include an online multiplayer mode, it was excluded because the Xbox Live service was not yet available.[11]

Halo was not intended to be the Xbox's flagship game due to internal concerns and gaming press criticism, but Microsoft VP of game publishing Ed Fries did not act on these concerns. The Xbox's marketing heavily featured Halo, whose green color palette meshed with the console's design scheme.[12] Halo: Combat Evolved introduced many gameplay and plot themes common to the whole trilogy. Players battle various aliens on foot and in vehicles to complete objectives, while attempting to uncover the secrets of the eponymous Halo. Halo limited the number of weapons players could carry to two, forcing them to carefully select their preferred armament.[13] Players fight with ranged and melee attacks, as well as grenades. Bungie referred to the "weapons-grenades-melee" format as the "Golden Triangle of Halo".[14] The player's health is measured in both hit points and a perpetually recharging energy shield.[15] Released for the Xbox in November 2001, Windows and Mac OS X ports were later developed by Gearbox Software, and released in 2003.[16][17] A stand-alone expansion, entitled Halo: Custom Edition, was released as a Windows exclusive, and allowed players to create custom content for the game.[citation needed]

The success of the game led to a sequel, Halo 2, which was announced on August 8, 2002, at Microsoft's X02 press event.[18] It featured improved graphics, new weapons and enemies, and a multiplayer mode on Xbox Live.[19][20] Halo 2 was released on the Xbox on November 9, 2004, and later for Windows Vista on May 17, 2007. The game was released in two different editions: a standard edition with just the game disc and traditional Xbox packaging; and the Collector's Edition with a specially designed steel case, along with an additional bonus DVD, extra booklet, and slightly different user manual. Halo 2 introduced new gameplay elements, chief among them the ability to hold and fire two weapons simultaneously, known as "dual-wielding".[21] Unlike its predecessor, Halo 2 fully supported online multiplayer via Xbox LIVE. The game uses "matchmaking" to facilitate joining online matches by grouping players looking for certain types of games.[21] This was a change from the more traditional "server list" approach, which was used to find matches in online games at this time.[22]

Halo 3 was announced at the 2006 Electronic Entertainment Expo.[23] It utilized a proprietary, in-house graphics engine, and employed advanced graphics technologies.[24][25] Halo 3 is the final game in the original Halo trilogy, ending the story arc begun in Halo: Combat Evolved.[26] The game was released on the Xbox 360 on September 25, 2007.[27] It adds to the series vehicles, weapons, and a class of items called equipment.[28] The game also includes a limited map-editing tool, known as the Forge, which allows players to insert game objects, such as weapons and vehicles, into existing multiplayer map geometry.[29] Players can save a recording of their gameplay sessions, and view them as video, from any angle.[30]

Following Halo 3's release, Bungie became an independent company once more. They created two more Halo games as part of their deal with Microsoft: a side story, Halo 3: ODST (2009), and a prequel, Halo: Reach (2010). Reach was Bungie's final work on a Halo release.[citation needed]

2010–present: 343 Industries games

edit
Main articles: Halo 4, Halo 5: Guardians, and Halo Infinite

While Bungie remained involved in the Halo series by developing games such as ODST and Reach, the rights to Halo remained with Microsoft. To oversee everything Halo, Microsoft created an internal division, 343 Industries, to oversee the franchise.[31][32][33][34]

 
343 Industries was established by Microsoft Game Studios in 2007 to oversee the Halo games and associated media.

343 had already codeveloped the Halo Legends animated series and had overseen production of Halo: Reach and 2011's Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary, a remaster of the franchise's debut title.[35] The next game in the series, Halo 4, was announced at E3 2011 as the first entry in what would be originally known as the "Reclaimer Trilogy".[36][37] The game included many staples of previous games, such as new or redesigned weapon types,[38] an improved map-editing tool[39] and expanded multiplayer options and maps.[40] Halo 4 was released worldwide on November 6, 2012,[41] achieving record sales for the franchise.[42] In a new addition to the series, a story-driven multiplayer campaign entitled Spartan Ops was released over the weeks following Halo 4's release, telling what happened after the end of the main game.[43] In announcing the formation of 343 Industries, Microsoft also announced that Xbox Live would be home to a central hub for Halo content called Halo Waypoint.[44] Waypoint is accessed from the Xbox 360 Dashboard and offers players access to multimedia content in addition to tracking their Halo game "career". O'Connor described Waypoint as intended to be the prime destination for Halo.[45]

In December 2014, 343 Industries general manager Bonnie Ross expressed Microsoft's aim for the Halo series to last at least 30 more years.[46]

Halo 5: Guardians, was released for the Xbox One on October 27, 2015.[47] The game takes place across many worlds, mainly the Elite homeworld, and revolves around Spartan Locke's hunt for the rogue Master Chief, who is trying to find a still-living Cortana.[48]

The third part of the Reclaimer Saga, Halo Infinite, was announced during E3 2018.[49] It brings the focus back to Master Chief, and Halo's roots by taking place on the new Zeta Halo. The story mainly focuses on exploring the deeper lore of the Halo series, finding what happened to Cortana, and battles with the Banished.[3] It released December 2021.[50]

On October 6, 2024 during the year's Halo World Championships, 343 Industries unveiled a seven-minute video where they officially announced their rebranding as Halo Studios, while also confirming that multiple new games in the series were currently in development, and that said games would use Unreal Engine 5 as opposed to the proprietary Slipspace Engine.[51] Studio head Pierre Hintze explained that the decision to rebrand the studio came from an internal shift in development philosophy behind the franchise, giving the team a "clean break" as was the case with transitioning between Bungie and 343.[52] Halo Studios also unveiled "Project Foundry", described as a "multi-discipline research and reflection" project experimenting with the series' aesthetics in Unreal Engine 5, while also acting as a reference tool for training developers on future entries.[53]

Spin-offs

edit
Main articles: Halo Wars, Halo 3: ODST, Halo: Spartan Assault, Halo: Spartan Strike, and Halo Wars 2

The success of the main Halo trilogy spurred the creation of spin-off games. Halo Wars is a real-time strategy game developed by Ensemble Studios for the Xbox 360. Set in the year 2531, the game takes place 21 years prior to the events of Halo: Combat Evolved. Much effort was spent on developing a control scheme that was simple and intuitive, unlike other console strategy games.[54] The game was announced at X06, and released in February and March 2009.

In October 2017, 343 Industries developed and released a virtual reality demo title in partnership with Endeavor One called Halo Recruit.[55]

 
A Fireteam Raven arcade booth in Edinburgh, UK

In 2018, 343 Industries partnered with Raw Thrills and PlayMechanix to develop a coin-operated arcade game called Halo: Fireteam Raven that was released in the later part of 2018, with Round1 USA and Dave & Buster's arcades releasing first.[56][57]

Alternative reality games

edit
Further information: I Love Bees and Marketing of Halo 3

Alternative reality games have been used to promote the release of Halo games, beginning with the Cortana Letters, a series of cryptic email messages, circulated by Bungie prior to Halo: Combat Evolved's release.[5] I Love Bees was used to promote the release of Halo 2. The game revolved around a website created by 42 Entertainment, commissioned by Microsoft and endorsed by Bungie. Over the course of the game, audio clips were released that eventually formed a complete five-hour story set on Earth between Halo and Halo 2.[58][59] Similarly, Iris was used as a viral marketing campaign for the release of Halo 3.[60] It featured five web servers containing various media files related to the Halo universe.

Canceled and rumoured projects

edit

Several spin-off titles were planned or rumored for the Game Boy Advance,[61] Gizmondo,[62][63] Ultra-Mobile PC,[64] and Nintendo DS.[65][66][67] Microsoft announced an episodic video game to be developed by film director Peter Jackson's Wingnut Interactive in 2006.[68] The game, Halo: Chronicles,[69] was ultimately canceled as part of budget cuts tied to job layoffs in January 2009.[70][71][72] Ensemble Studios developed a Halo-themed massively multiplayer online game, often referred to as Titan Project, or just Titan. The project was canceled internally in 2007–2008, without a formal announcement from Microsoft.[73][74] On January 4, 2007, an IGN editor claimed he had played a version of Halo for the Nintendo DS. On October 2, 2007, IGN published a video of on camera in-game footage of what he claimed was a very early-development playable version of what they referred to as "Halo DS".[75] In a July 2007 interview with Siloconera, Bungie employees Frank O'Connor and Brian Jarrard clarified, "it’s very likely that somebody at some point in time created a prototype and tried to pitch it... which is probably what Casamassina is talking about... but there has never been an officially funded or sanctioned development of any sort of DS Halo game."[76]

343 Industries announced a free-to-play Halo multiplayer game for Windows PC, Halo Online, in 2015. The game launched with a closed beta test limited to Russia that year. The title was developed with Saber Interactive using modified version of the Halo 3 engine, and published by Innova Systems.[77] The project was canceled in August 2016.[78][79] Players modified the game to circumvent the region limitations and add new content after the project's official cancellation.[80] The "ElDewrito" project saw legal takedowns from Microsoft for violating its game usage rules.[81] Despite this, ElDewrito's playerbase remained active, and the modders claimed its popularity hastened Microsoft's plans to release a Windows version of Halo: The Master Chief Collection even though such a version would later officially release in December 2019 and would later include maps from Halo Online in further updates to the game.[82][83][84]

Other appearances

edit

Halo characters have appeared in tie-ins, such as the characters Spartan Nicole-458 and the Arbiter being playable fighters in Dead or Alive 4 and Killer Instinct: Season Three, respectively.[85][86] Master Chief was added as a playable character in Fortnite alongside a stage inspired by a Halo multiplayer map in 2020.[87]

Another game, Halo 2600, has the players control Master Chief and fight through four regions filled with enemies. It was written by Ed Fries, former vice president of game publishing at Microsoft, in 2010 for the Atari 2600.[88]

The Halo theme tune was also available as downloadable content for Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock.[89] In Forza Horizon 4 one level has the player racing across the map in the Warthog as the Master Chief, with the Halo ring visible in the sky, Cortana on the radio and various Covenant based obstacles to avoid.[90]

Cultural influences and themes

edit

In 2006, in acknowledgment of the "wealth of influences adopted by the Bungie team", a list of Bungie employees' favorite science fiction material was published on the company's website.[91] The developers acknowledged that the Halo series' use of ring-shaped megastructures followed on from concepts featured in Larry Niven's Ringworld and Iain M. Banks' Culture series (of which Consider Phlebas[92] and Excession[91] were said to be particularly influential). In a retrospective article in Edge, Bungie's Jaime Griesemer commented, "The influence of something like Ringworld isn't necessarily in the design – it's in that feeling of being somewhere else. That sense of scale and an epic story going on out there."[92] Griesemer also explained, "One of the main sources of inspiration was Armor [by John Steakley], in which a soldier has to constantly re-live the same war over and over again. That sense of hopelessness, a relentless battle, was influential."[92] The Flood were influenced by the assimilating alien species in Christopher Rowley's The Vang;[92] it has also been speculated that the Master Chief's name "John 117" may have been a reference to a character named Jon 6725416 in Rowley's Starhammer,[93] or to the John Spartan character of Demolition Man.[94] An IGN article exploring the literary influences present in the Halo franchise commented on similarities between Halo and Orson Scott Card's Ender's Game: aspects of the SPARTAN Project and the design of the Covenant Drones are perceived as reminiscent of the super soldier program and Buggers found in the novel.[93] Bungie has also acknowledged James Cameron's film Aliens as a strong cinematic influence.[95]

A report written by Roger Travis and published by The Escapist compares Halo with the Latin epic Aeneid, written by classical Roman poet Virgil. Travis posits similarities between the plots of both works and compares the characters present in them, with the Flood and Covenant taking the role performed by the Carthaginians and Master Chief taking the role of Aeneas.[96]

Forge

edit

First introduced in Halo 3, Forge is an in-game map editor designed for adjusting weapon, vehicle, and prop placement. While in Editor Mode, the player becomes a floating robot, or "monitor", who can spawn, move, and delete any game object on the map. All objects are assigned a monetary value, and cost money to spawn; the level's "Forge budget" determines how much money the player can use to spawn objects. As a component of Halo 3, Forge received critical acclaim upon its release. GameSpot's Jeff Gerstmann described Forge as "an extremely powerful addition that might just take over your life", and praised the editor for the replay value it provided.[97] Heather Campbell of Play Magazine named Halo 3 her game of the year due to Forge, with co-editor Greg Orlando explaining later in the issue: "What separates Halo 3 from other console shooters such as Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare and Team Fortress 2, though, is the inclusion of a forge mode and the ability to save and edit gameplay films. [...] Although these modes are standard fare in most PC online shooters, their inclusion in a console game is something entirely new — and entirely wonderful."[98] In an editorial for Edge, N'Gai Croal stated that Forge could "help prove the viability of user-generated content on consoles."[99] Halo 3's iteration of Forge has received comparisons to Garry's Mod, a 2004 Half-Life 2 mod with a similar emphasis on free-form construction and experimentation.[100][101][97]

Outside of its intended use as a map editor, Forge has been used to create art installations by arranging in-game props to draw pictures and write messages.[102] Game modes and maps created in Forge have occasionally informed the development of Halo itself. Grifball, a fictional sport that originated in the Halo-themed web series Red vs. Blue, inspired a popular user-created Forge map and game mode styled after rugby. Grifball was developed into an official weekly playlist for Halo 3, and would go on to be included in every subsequent Halo game after Halo: Reach.[103]

343 Industries employee Nick Bird, working as Forge Quality Assurance on Halo Infinite, credited Forge for his interest in game development; "My time in Forge and the Forge community eventually led me to pursue a career in the industry, and ultimately landed me a position to work on what I love in a franchise I love."[104]

In September 2021, the developers of the first-person portal-based shooter Splitgate announced that they intend to incorporate their proprietary version of a Forge mode into the game, which launched before the long-delayed Halo Infinite released its version.[105]

Music

edit
 
Martin O'Donnell, lead composer for the Bungie Halo games
Main articles: Halo Original Soundtrack, Halo 2 Original Soundtrack, Halo 3 Original Soundtrack, and Halo 4 Original Soundtrack

Martin O'Donnell and Michael Salvatori collaborated to produce the soundtracks for Bungie's Halo games. Approached by Bungie to produce something ancient and mysterious for Halo's debut, O'Donnell decided to compose a theme using Gregorian chant, joining in with others to sing the vocal parts.[106] Due to the varying nature of gameplay, the music was designed to change dynamically based on the gameplay.[107] To afford a more enjoyable listening experience, O'Donnell rearranged portions of the music of Halo into standalone suites, which follow the narrative course of the game, for the soundtrack releases.[108] For Halo 2, the soundtrack included licensed music from Incubus and Breaking Benjamin alongside the orchestral score; rock guitar virtuoso, Steve Vai, performed various solos throughout the score.

The music of Halo helped spur a renewed interest in chant music.[109]

For Halo 2's soundtrack, producer Nile Rodgers and O'Donnell decided to split the music into two separate volumes. The first, Volume One, was released on November 9, 2004, and contained all the themes as well as the "inspired-by" music present in the game (featuring Steve Vai, Incubus, Hoobastank, and Breaking Benjamin). The second release, Volume 2, contained the rest of the music, much of which was incomplete or not included in the first soundtrack, as the first soundtrack was shipped before the game was released.[110] Halo 2, unlike its predecessor, was mixed to take full advantage of Dolby 5.1 Digital Surround Sound.[111] In 2014, the in-game music was rerecorded and remastered for the Halo 2 Anniversary release which was part of the Master Chief Collection which included remastered versions of all Halo games with Master Chief as the protagonist.

The soundtrack for Halo 3 was released on November 20, 2007. O'Donnell noted he wanted to bring back the themes from the original game to help tie together the end of the trilogy.[112] The tracks are presented, similarly to the previous soundtrack for Halo 2,[110] in a suite form. Unlike previous soundtracks, where much of the music had been synthesized on computer, the soundtrack for Halo 3 was recorded using a 60-piece orchestra, along with a 24-voice chorus.[113] The final soundtrack was recorded by the Northwest Sinfonia at Studio X in Seattle, Washington.[114] The soundtracks were bundled and released as a box set in December 2008.[115] A soundtrack for Halo 3: ODST was released alongside the game and included many of the tracks from the game.[116]

For Bungie's last game in the Halo series, Halo: Reach, Martin O'Donnell and Michael Salvatori returned to compose the soundtrack. O'Donnell wrote "somber, more visceral" music to reflect the darker nature of the campaign and style of the game. As Bungie had been making Halo 3: ODST and Halo: Reach at the same time, Martin O'Donnell had also been composing the soundtracks at the same time, but production for the music of Halo: Reach did not begin until after the release of Halo 3: ODST. The soundtrack was released on iTunes on September 15, 2010, and in a two-disc set on September 28, 2010.

For Halo Wars, the task of creating the game's music fell to Stephen Rippy. Rippy listened to O'Donnell's soundtracks for inspiration and incorporated the Halo theme into parts of his arrangements. In addition to synthesized and orchestral components, the composer focused on the choir and piano as essential elements, feeling these were important in creating the "Halo sound".[117] Rather than use the Northwest Sinfonia, Rippy traveled to Prague and recorded with the FILMharmonic Orchestra before returning to the United States to complete the music. A standalone compact disc and digital download retail version of the soundtrack was announced in January 2009 for release on February 17.[118]

The music of Halo 4 was composed by Neil Davidge and Kazuma Jinnouchi. The Halo 4 Original Soundtrack was released on October 22, 2012, followed by a two-disc Special Edition on November 6. Neil Davidge served as an out-of-house composer for 343 Industries which proved to be very expensive leading Kazuma Jinnouchi to take over the responsibility of music production for Halo 5: Guardians. The music by Neil Davidge and Kazuma Jinnouchi for Halo 4 received mixed reviews, being recognized as creative music but too different from the original Halo formula.

In 2014, Kazuma Jinnouchi confirmed he would be composing the soundtrack for Halo 5: Guardians. On October 30, 2015, Halo 5: Guardians Original Soundtrack was released on CD and vinyl. The soundtrack used a 30-person choir located in Prague, Czech Republic. The orchestral soundtrack was recorded at the Abbey Road Studio over the duration of 5 separate trips.

In 2017, 343 Industries and Creative Assembly released a sequel to Halo Wars titled Halo Wars 2. The soundtrack was composed by Gordy Haab, Brian Lee White and Brian Trifon under the direction of Paul Lipson who had helped in the audio and music of nearly every previous Halo title. The Halo Wars 2 soundtrack featured many melodies from the music that Stephen Rippy had composed for the first Halo Wars but with new arrangements and more melodies to represent the individual characters. The original game soundtrack was released on February 17, 2017, and released digitally on February 21, 2017.

The music for Halo Infinite was a collaboration between Gareth Coker, Curtis Schweitzer, Joel Corelitz, Alex Bhore, and Eternal Time & Space, overseen by 343 Industries Music Supervisor Joel Yarger. Infinite's soundtrack was released digitally on December 8, 2021, in two albums, one covering the score for the campaign, and another covering the music for the game's multiplayer component.

Adaptations

edit
Further information: List of Halo media

The Halo franchise includes various types of merchandise and adaptations outside of the video games. This includes bestselling novels, graphic novels, and other licensed products, from action figures to a packaging tie-in with Mountain Dew. Numerous action figures and vehicles based on Halo have been produced. Joyride Studios created Halo and Halo 2 action figures, while Halo 3 poseable and collectible action figures, aimed at collectors, were produced by McFarlane Toys and became some of the top-selling action figures of 2007 and 2008.[119] MEGA Bloks partnered with Microsoft to produce Halo Wars-themed toys.[120]

Books

edit
 
Halo authors Joseph Staten and Eric Nylund

As part of Microsoft's multimedia efforts, Microsoft Studios decided to create a tie-in novel for Combat Evolved. Eric Nylund wrote Halo: The Fall of Reach in seven weeks, and it was published in October 2001.[121] The game itself was turned into a novelization by William C. Dietz in 2003, called Halo: The Flood.[122] Nylund would write additional Halo works including the novels First Strike (2003) and Ghosts of Onyx (2006).[123] Other novels have been written by Joseph Staten, Tobias S. Buckell, Karen Traviss,[124] Greg Bear,[125] Matt Forbeck,[126] John Shirley,[127] Troy Denning, Cassandra Rose Clarke, and Kelly Gay.

A collection of Halo short stories, Halo: Evolutions, was simultaneously released in print and audiobook formats in November 2009. Evolutions includes original material by Nylund, Buckell, Karen Traviss and contributions from Bungie.[128] Tor re-released the first three Halo novels with new content and cover art.[129] Another collection, Halo: Fractures, compiled new and previously released short fiction in 2016.[130]

Comics

edit

The Halo universe was first adapted into the graphic novel format in 2006, with the release of The Halo Graphic Novel, a collection of four short stories.[131] It was written and illustrated by graphic novelists Lee Hammock, Jay Faerber, Tsutomu Nihei, Brett Lewis, Simon Bisley, Ed Lee and Jean Giraud. At the 2007 New York Comic Con, Marvel Comics announced they would be working on an ongoing Halo series with Brian Michael Bendis and Alex Maleev. The limited series, titled Halo: Uprising, bridges the gap between the events of Halo 2 and Halo 3;[132] initially planned to conclude shortly before the release of Halo 3, the constant delays led to the final issue being published April 2009.[133]

Marvel announced at the 2009 Comic Con that two new comics, a five-part series written by Peter David and a second series written by Fred Van Lente, would appear the coming summer and winter.[134] David's series, Halo: Helljumper, is set prior to Halo: Combat Evolved and focuses on the elite Orbital Drop Shock Troopers. The five-part series was published between July and November 2009.[135] Lente's series, originally titled Spartan Black, revolves around a black ops team of Spartan supersoldiers assigned to the UNSC Office of Naval Intelligence.[136] The rebranded comic, Halo: Blood Line, debuted in December 2009.[137] The most recent comic series is a comic retelling of the novel Halo: The Fall of Reach, titled Halo: Fall of Reach. Fall of Reach is split into three mini-stories: Boot Camp, Covenant, and Invasion.[138] Two new series were announced in 2013. A three-part series, Halo: Initiation was released August 2013 with Brian Reed returning as writer.[139] Also announced was Halo: Escalation, an ongoing comic series covering the period directly after Halo 4.[140]

Live-action

edit

Unproduced feature

edit

In 2005, Columbia Pictures president Peter Schlessel began working outside the studio system to produce a Halo film adaptation. Alex Garland wrote a script,[141] which was then pitched to studios by couriers dressed as Master Chief. Microsoft's terms required $10 million against 15 percent of gross; most studios passed, citing the lack of risk for Microsoft compared to their large share of potential profits. 20th Century Fox and Universal Pictures decided to partner to produce the film, paying Microsoft $5 million to option the film and 10 percent of grosses.[142] Peter Jackson was slated to be the executive producer,[143] with Neill Blomkamp as director. Before Blomkamp signed on, Guillermo del Toro was in negotiations to direct.[144]

D. B. Weiss and Josh Olson rewrote Garland's script during 2006.[145] Pre-production of the film was halted and restarted several times.[146] Later that year, 20th Century Fox threatened to pull out of the project, leading Universal to issue an ultimatum to Jackson and Schlessel: either reduce their large "first-dollar" revenue deals, or the project was ended. Both refused, and the project stalled.[142] Blomkamp declared the project dead in late 2007,[147] though Jackson insisted the film would still be made.[148] Blomkamp and Jackson collaborated on District 9, but the director told /Film that he was no longer considering working on a Halo film if the opportunity arose.[149] The rights for the film have since reverted to Microsoft.[150] Blomkamp would produce a series of live-action shorts as promotion for Halo 3, collectively titled Halo: Landfall.[151]

Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn

edit
Main article: Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn

Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn is a live-action film and miniseries set in the Halo universe. Although shot as a feature-length film, Forward Unto Dawn was originally released as a webseries consisting of five episodes released between October 5, 2012, and November 2, 2012. The series' plot, occurring in the early days of the Human-Covenant War c. 2526, revolves around Thomas Lasky, a young cadet at Corbulo Academy of Military Science, and how John-117 inspired him to eventually become a leader. Lasky is also a prominent character in Halo 4 as a commander on the UNSC Infinity. The name of the series, aside from being a reference to the UNSC frigate Forward Unto Dawn, is given new significance in the series as part of a running motif based on a poem. The film cut was released on Blu-ray and DVD on December 4, 2012.

Halo: Nightfall

edit

On April 3, 2014, it was announced that Ridley Scott and his production company, Scott Free Productions, were working on a Halo digital feature alongside 343 Industries and Xbox Entertainment Studios; Scott would be the executive producer, with David W. Zucker and Sergio Mimica-Gezzan as the directors. The feature was expected to follow the same format as Machinima's Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn.[152] On June 9, 2014, it was announced at E3 2014 that the feature, titled Halo: Nightfall, would be included with Halo: The Master Chief Collection at its November 2014 launch. The feature introduces a new character to the franchise, Agent Jameson Locke, played by actor Mike Colter; Nightfall is considered to be his origin story.[153] Locke is one of the Spartans portrayed on the cover art and plays a large role in the series.[154] On July 24, 2014, 343 Industries released the first trailer for the feature.[155] Halo: Nightfall is available to watch through Halo Channel, an application for the Xbox One, Windows 8.1 and Windows Phone.[156] On March 16, 2015, the series became available to stream, download, and buy on physical disc.[157]

Paramount+ television series

edit
Main article: Halo (TV series)

On May 21, 2013, Xbox Entertainment Studios and 343 announced that a live-action television show of Halo would be produced with Steven Spielberg serving as executive producer through what is now Amblin Television. It was originally titled Halo: The Television Series. Neill Blomkamp was rumored to be directing the pilot for the series.[158] Xbox Entertainment Studios shut down in 2014. Later, it was announced the series would premiere on the American premium cable network Showtime.[159] It had been in development hell for many years. On March 1, 2018, it was announced that the series would start filming in late 2018, with speculation of the series airing in mid- to late-2019.[160] On June 28, 2018, Kyle Killen was hired as showrunner and executive producer and Rupert Wyatt as director and executive producer.[161] On December 4, 2018, Wyatt stepped down as director and executive producer from the project due to scheduling conflicts.[162] On February 21, 2019, Otto Bathurst replaced Wyatt as director and executive producer.[163] On April 17, 2019, it was announced that Pablo Schreiber was cast as Master Chief.[164] On August 2, 2019, Deadline reported that Natascha McElhone had been cast in two key roles: Cortana and Dr. Catherine Halsey, Bokeem Woodbine was also cast as Soren-066, along with Shabana Azmi as Admiral Margaret Parangosky, and Yerin Ha as Kwan Ha. It was also announced that the series would be released in early 2021.[165] Filming was incorrectly reported to have officially begun in October 2019.[166] In November 2020, Jen Taylor, who voiced Cortana in every major game in the Halo franchise, replaced McElhone in that role.[167] It then was reported that filming began in February 2021 and that ViacomCBS was shifting the show from Showtime to Paramount+[168] with Showtime retaining production credits. The series premiered on March 24, 2022.[169]

Animated series

edit
Main article: Halo Legends

Microsoft announced at Comic-Con 2009 that it was overseeing production of a series of seven short anime films, together called Halo Legends. Financed by 343 Industries, the animation was created by six Japanese production houses: Bee Train Production, Bones, Casio Entertainment, Production I.G., Studio 4°C, and Toei Animation. Shinji Aramaki, creator and director of Appleseed and Appleseed Ex Machina, served as the project's creative director. Warner Bros. distributed Legends on DVD and Blu-ray in February 2010.[31][170] Six of the stories are officially part of the Halo canon, with the seventh, made by Toei, intended to be a parody of the universe.[171]

An animated version of The Fall of Reach is included in the Halo 5: Guardians Limited Edition and Collector's Edition.[172][173]

Reception and critical response

edit

Cumulative unit sales

edit
Date Total units sold Ref.
August 30, 2007 14.5+ million [174]
January 8, 2009 25+ million [175]
May 24, 2010 34+ million [176]
October 31, 2012 46+ million [177]
October 19, 2014 60+ million [178]
July 13, 2015 65+ million [179]
February 24, 2021 81+ million [180]
Aggregate review scores
As of December 17, 2021.
Game Metacritic
Halo: Combat Evolved Xbox: 97[181]
PC: 83[182]
Halo 2 Xbox: 95[183]
PC: 72[184]
Halo 3 Xbox 360: 94[185]
PC: 88 [186]
Halo Wars Xbox 360: 82[187]
Halo 3: ODST Xbox 360: 83[188]
Halo: Reach Xbox 360: 91[189]
PC: 81[190]
Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary Xbox 360: 82[191]
PC: 79[192]
Halo 4 Xbox 360: 87[193]
Halo: Spartan Assault PC: 70[194]
Xbox One: 53[195]
Xbox 360: 51[196]
Halo: The Master Chief Collection Xbox One: 85[197]
Halo: Spartan Strike iOS: 86[198]
PC: 66[199]
Halo 5: Guardians Xbox One: 84[200]
Halo Wars 2 Xbox One: 79[201]
PC: 70[202]
Halo Infinite Xbox Series X/S: 87[203]
PC: 81[204]

The Halo franchise has been highly successful commercially and critically. During the two months following Halo: Combat Evolved's release, it sold alongside more than fifty percent of Xbox consoles.[205] Halo 2's sales generated US$125 million on its premiere day, making it the fastest selling United States media product in history up to that time.[206][207] Combined with Halo's sales, the two games sold 14.8 million units before Halo 3's release.[208] At the end of 2007, Halo 2 and Halo: Combat Evolved were the number one and two best-selling Xbox titles, respectively, and Halo 3 was the best-selling Xbox 360 title.[209] The Halo series had sold more than 81 million copies by 2021.[180]

Halo's success led to the term "Halo killer" being used to describe console games that aspire, or are considered, to be better than Halo.[210] It was the Xbox's killer app.[211]

Total franchise sales amounted to more than $6 billion in 2021.[212]

The soundtracks to Halo 2, Halo 3, ODST and Reach all appeared on the Billboard 200 charts for at least one week.[213] By May 2011, total gross of Halo merchandise was $2 billion, with 40 million copies of the games sold.[214] The total amount climbed to $2.3 billion in July 2011,[215] and $2.8 billion in January 2012.[216] Total franchise grosses exceeded $4.6 billion by October 2015, with 25% of the figure from non-game-related merchandise.[217]

The Halo adaptations have been successful as well. Many of the novels have appeared on Publishers Weekly's bestseller charts and the Halo Graphic Novel sold more than 100,000 copies, a "rare hit" for the games-to-comics genre.[218] Ghosts of Onyx, Contact Harvest, The Cole Protocol and the first volume of Cryptum appeared on The New York Times bestseller lists,[122][219][220][221][222][223] and The Cole Protocol also opened 50th overall on USA Today's bestsellers list.[224] Tor's first three novels sold more than one million copies by April 2009.[225]

Overall, the Halo series has been very well received by critics. Halo: Combat Evolved has received numerous Game of the Year awards.[226][227] In March 2007, IGN listed it as the top Xbox game of all time, while readers ranked it the fourteenth best game ever on "IGN Readers' Choice 2006 – The Top 100 Games Ever".[228][229] Conversely, Game Spy ranked Halo: Combat Evolved tenth on its list of "Top 25 Most Overrated Games of All Time", citing repetitive level design and the lack of an online multiplayer mode.[230] Halo 2 also received numerous awards,[231] with IGN listing it as the number two top Xbox game of all time in March 2007.[228] From its initial release on the Xbox in November 2004 until the launch of Gears of War on the Xbox 360 in November 2006 – two years later – Halo 2 was the most popular video game on Xbox Live.[232] Halo 3 was nominated for and won multiple awards; it won Time magazine's "Game of the Year" and IGN chose it as the Best Xbox 360 Online Multiplayer Game and Innovative Design of 2007.[233][234][235] Most publications called the multiplayer aspect one of the best features; IGN said the multiplayer map lineup was the strongest of the series, and GameSpy added that the multiplayer offering will greatly please "Halo veterans".[236][237] Complaints focused on the game's plot. The New York Times said the game had a "throwaway" plot and Total Video Games judged the single-player aspect ultimately disappointing.[238][239] The series' music and audio has received enthusiastic response from game reviewers.[237][240][241]

Cultural impact

edit

The main trilogy, particularly its protagonist, are considered iconic and a symbol of today's video games; a wax replica of Master Chief was made by Madame Tussauds in Las Vegas, where Pete Wentz compared the character to notable characters from previous generations like Spider-Man, Frodo, and Luke Skywalker.[242] GamesTM stated Halo: Combat Evolved "changed video game combat forever", and Halo 2 showcased Xbox Live as a tool for communities.[243] Game Daily noted Halo 2's launch was "easily comparable to the biggest in other sectors of the entertainment industry", marking the first time a video game launch has become a major cultural event in the United States.[244] Halo has been described as a series that "has reinvented a genre that didn't know it needed to be reinvented", with aspects of the main trilogy being duplicated in other first-person shooter games multiple times.[245]

Variety called Halo "the equivalent of Star Wars".[246] The fandom is referred to as the "Halo nation".[247]

Machinima

edit
Main article: Machinima

The Halo franchise spurred an array of productions in an emerging genre of machinima—the use of games for filmmaking.[248] Most productions are set outside Halo canon, while others are based on fan fiction closely relating to the story. Halo 3 includes a saved film function that allows camera angles not possible in previous games, and other features that simplify production. The game has become one of the most popular tools for generating machinima, and Microsoft updated its user license agreement to allow noncommercial distribution of such films.[249]

A notable machinima production is the comedy series Red vs. Blue created by Rooster Teeth Productions. It has achieved an unparalleled level of success in Halo machinima in specific, and machinima in general; it is credited with bringing attention to the genre.[250][251] Red vs. Blue generated annual revenues of US$200,000, and special promotional episodes were commissioned by Bungie.[250] The first series, The Blood Gulch Chronicles, ended on June 28, 2007, after 100 regular episodes and numerous promotional videos.[252] Subsequent series include The Recollection, which contains more dramatic elements than its comedic predecessor,[253] Project Freelancer, The Chorus Trilogy, Anthology, and The Shisno Paradox. Other machinima series include Arby ‘n the Chief, Fire Team Charlie, The Codex, and the in-game interview show This Spartan Life.

Esports

edit

Players began creating impromptu Halo tournaments and local parties after the release of the first game. Bungie looked at the success of these matches as inspiration for crafting the online multiplayer components of Halo 2.[254]

Larger organizations soon began operating Halo competitive games. In August 2002, G4 hosted the Halo National Championship Finals, a FFA [free-for-all] tournament involving sixteen players from across the country (hosted by Wil Wheaton of Star Trek fame.)[255] The Associates of Gaming Professionals (AGP), which focused solely on Halo, held its first event in November 2002.[256] Inspired by friends placing bets on their Halo matches, Mike Sepso and Sundance DiGiovanni formed Major League Gaming the same year.[257]

Microsoft and 343 Industries sponsored their own professional Halo league, called the Halo Championship Series (HCS), in 2014.[258] It was started in partnership with the Electronic Sports League (ESL). Seasons 1 and 2 ran on The Master Chief Collection.[259] In August 2015 Microsoft announced it would be increasing the total prize pool of the HCS to $1 million USD, for the newly announced Halo World Championship, which will be the debut event for Halo 5.[260] This prize pool was later announced to be crowd-funded, which later resulted in Major League Gaming announcing that the prize pool had climbed to $2 million USD. Later that week, 343 announced that the prize pool was locked at $2.5 million USD. This was the largest console esports prize pool ever.[261]

References

edit
  1. ^ "The Halo Universe 101". halo.xbox.com. Microsoft. Archived from the original on April 25, 2010. Retrieved November 19, 2009.
  2. ^ Easterling, Jeff; Patenaude, Jeremy; Peters, Kenneth (2016). Fortune, Emil (ed.). Halo Mythos: A Guide to the Story of Halo. Bloomsbury. ISBN 9781681193564.
  3. ^ a b Byford, Sam (December 6, 2021). "Halo Infinite Campaign Review: Playing the Hits". The Verge. Vox Media. Retrieved February 27, 2022.
  4. ^ Trautmann, Eric (2004). The Art of Halo. New York: Del Ray Publishing. p. ix. ISBN 978-0-345-47586-2.
  5. ^ a b McLaughlin, Rus (September 20, 2007). "IGN Presents The History of Halo". IGN. Archived from the original on May 15, 2012. Retrieved March 20, 2008.
  6. ^ Toyama, Kevin (May 2001). "Cover Story: Holy Halo". Next Generation Magazine: 61.
  7. ^ a b Lopez, Vincent (July 21, 1999). "Heavenly Halo Announced from Bungie". IGN. Archived from the original on April 4, 2002. Retrieved March 11, 2008.
  8. ^ "Inside Bungie: History". Bungie. Archived from the original on May 2, 2006. Retrieved June 19, 2006.
  9. ^ Hiatt, Jesse (November 1999). "Halo The Closest Thing to the Real Thing". Computer Gaming World. pp. 94–96. Archived from the original on October 21, 2011. Retrieved March 11, 2008.
  10. ^ "Microsoft to Acquire Bungie Software". Microsoft. June 19, 2000. Archived from the original on May 1, 2006. Retrieved March 11, 2008.
  11. ^ Lopez, Vincent (March 4, 2001). "Playable Halo at GameStock". IGN. Archived from the original on February 23, 2002. Retrieved March 12, 2008.
  12. ^ Alexander, Leigh (August 14, 2009). "Interview: Former Microsoft Exec Fries Talks Xbox's Genesis". Gamasutra. Archived from the original on June 6, 2011. Retrieved August 17, 2009.
  13. ^ Fielder, Joe (November 9, 2001). "Halo: Combat Evolved review at GameSpot". GameSpot. Archived from the original on January 26, 2014. Retrieved August 2, 2006.
  14. ^ Bakken, Lars; et al. (2007). Is Quisnam Protero Damno!. Washington: Bungie.
  15. ^ Accardo, Sal (November 15, 2001). "GameSpy's review of Halo: Combat Evolved for the Xbox". GameSpy. Archived from the original on October 19, 2006. Retrieved September 2, 2006.
  16. ^ "Halo: Combat Evolved PC version on Metacritic". Metacritic. Archived from the original on January 3, 2007. Retrieved August 22, 2006.
  17. ^ "Halo: Combat Evolved Mac version at GameSpot". GameSpot. Archived from the original on October 10, 2004. Retrieved August 22, 2006.
  18. ^ "Halo 2 and Project Gotham Racing 2 Announced!". IGN. August 8, 2002. Archived from the original on August 13, 2002. Retrieved March 19, 2008.
  19. ^ Blevins, Tal (August 20, 2004). "Halo 2 Hands-On". IGN. Archived from the original on August 21, 2004. Retrieved March 19, 2008.
  20. ^ Mirabella, Fran (May 24, 2004). "Halo 2 Multiplayer Hands-On Vol. 4". IGN. Archived from the original on May 29, 2004. Retrieved March 19, 2008.
  21. ^ a b "Halo Retrospective: Halo 2". UGO Networks. Archived from the original on February 10, 2008. Retrieved February 19, 2008.
  22. ^ "Halo 2 tops Live most-played list". Eurogamer. February 21, 2006. Archived from the original on December 16, 2008. Retrieved December 10, 2006.
  23. ^ Achronos (May 9, 2006). "Halo 3 Announced". Bungie. Archived from the original on May 4, 2008. Retrieved August 6, 2007.
  24. ^ Sanders, Kathleen (May 9, 2006). "E3 2k6: Halo 3 Trailer Impressions". IGN. Archived from the original on February 7, 2012. Retrieved June 25, 2007.
  25. ^ Klepek, Patrick (March 19, 2007). "Bungie Says Halo 3 Graphics are coming Together". 1UP.com. Archived from the original on July 18, 2012. Retrieved October 2, 2007.
  26. ^ Achronos (May 9, 2006). "Halo 3 Announced". Inside Bungie. Bungie. Archived from the original on May 4, 2008. Retrieved August 6, 2007.
  27. ^ Smith, Luke (May 15, 2007). "Finish the Fight on September 25, 2007". Bungie. Archived from the original on May 18, 2007. Retrieved May 16, 2007. On September 25, 2007, players will be able to finish the fight they started in Halo: Combat Evolved and continued in Halo 2. Halo 3 will release in Europe on September 26, 2007
  28. ^ Goldstein, Hilary (August 10, 2007). "Burn, Baby! Burn!". IGN. pp. 1–2. Archived from the original on July 20, 2011. Retrieved August 10, 2007.
  29. ^ Jarrard, Brian; O'Connor, Frank; Smith, Luke (August 28, 2007). Official Bungie Podcast: 08/28/07. Bungie. Archived from the original on February 6, 2012. Retrieved September 2, 2007.{{cite AV media}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  30. ^ "Finish the Fight". Edge (UK). No. 179. September 2007. pp. 66–77. ISSN 1350-1593. Archived from the original on September 30, 2007. Retrieved August 7, 2007.
  31. ^ a b Fritz, Ben (July 22, 2009). "Video game publishers Microsoft, Ubisoft invading Hollywood's turf". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on July 24, 2009. Retrieved July 22, 2009.
  32. ^ Milian, Mark (May 11, 2011). "'Halo' and creators move on after divorce". CNN. Archived from the original on November 9, 2012. Retrieved July 10, 2014.
  33. ^ Orry, James (July 21, 2009). "Is 343 Industries Microsoft's Halo studio?". Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved January 6, 2013.
  34. ^ Milian, Mark (May 11, 2011). "Halo' and creators move on after divorce". CNN. Archived from the original on January 8, 2014. Retrieved January 5, 2013.
  35. ^ "Microsoft leaks details about next Halo game". VentureBeat. June 6, 2011. Archived from the original on June 12, 2018. Retrieved August 6, 2012.
  36. ^ Yin-Poole, Wesley (August 28, 2011). "Halo 4, 5, 6 the "Reclaimer Trilogy"". Eurogamer. Archived from the original on June 29, 2013. Retrieved July 1, 2013.
  37. ^ "343 Industries opens up on Halo 4, The Reclaimer Trilogy". GameSpot. CBS Interactive Inc. Archived from the original on October 14, 2014. Retrieved November 13, 2014.
  38. ^ Rosenberg, Adam (November 7, 2012). "Halo 4 Promethean Guide – Enemies, New Weapons, And What It Takes To Win". G4. Archived from the original on January 14, 2013. Retrieved November 11, 2012.
  39. ^ McElroy, Griffin (July 7, 2012). "'Halo 4' Forge mode in development at Certain Affinity". Polygon. Archived from the original on September 21, 2013. Retrieved June 6, 2013.
  40. ^ Shea, Jessica (October 10, 2012). "The Halo Bulletin: 10.10.12". HaloWaypoint.com. Archived from the original on June 6, 2013. Retrieved October 14, 2012.
  41. ^ "Halo 4 release date confirmed for November by Microsoft". BBC Radio 1 Newsbeat. BBC. April 18, 2012. Archived from the original on May 2, 2012. Retrieved June 14, 2012.
  42. ^ Molina, Brett (November 12, 2012). "'Halo 4' snags $220 million on first day". USA Today. Archived from the original on December 4, 2012. Retrieved November 12, 2012.
  43. ^ Dyer, Mitch (April 9, 2012). "Spartan Ops and Infinity Change Halo 4 Multiplayer". IGN. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on October 13, 2013. Retrieved July 23, 2012.
  44. ^ "Halo Legends and Halo Waypoint Announced at Comic-Con". Xbox.com. July 23, 2009. Archived from the original on July 26, 2009. Retrieved July 25, 2009.
  45. ^ McWhertor, Michael (July 25, 2009). "Halo Waypoint Further Detailed By Microsoft". Kotaku. Archived from the original on July 26, 2009. Retrieved July 25, 2009.
  46. ^ Makuch, Eddie (December 15, 2014). "Microsoft Wants Halo to Last Another 30 Years". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on December 17, 2014. Retrieved December 17, 2014.
  47. ^ "The Halo Journey". Xbox Wire. Microsoft. May 16, 2014. Archived from the original on May 16, 2014. Retrieved December 15, 2014.
  48. ^ Statt, Nick (September 23, 2015). "Halo 5: Guardians' story shows Master Chief at his most vulnerable". The Verge. Vox Media. Archived from the original on November 12, 2015. Retrieved November 8, 2015.
  49. ^ Watts, Steve. "E3 2018: Halo Infinite Revealed As New Halo Xbox One Game". GameSpot. Retrieved June 10, 2018.
  50. ^ Warren, Tom (August 25, 2021). "Halo Infinite is launching on December 8th". The Verge. Archived from the original on October 26, 2021. Retrieved October 26, 2021.
  51. ^ Bailey, Kat (October 6, 2024). "Future Halo Games Moving to Unreal Engine 5 as 343 Industries Rebrands, 'Multiple Projects' in Development". IGN. Retrieved October 7, 2024.
  52. ^ Skrebels, Joe (October 6, 2024). "Halo Studios: New Name, New Engine, New Games, New Philosophy". Xbox Wire. Retrieved October 7, 2024.
  53. ^ 343 INDUSTRIES, Official (October 6, 2024). "A New Dawn". Halo Waypoint. Retrieved October 6, 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  54. ^ Robinson, Andy (June 21, 2007). "Interview: Ensemble talks up the console RTS". Computer and Video Games. Archived from the original on August 13, 2007. Retrieved October 4, 2007.
  55. ^ Wolfkill, Kiki (October 17, 2017). "Introducing Halo Recruit". Halo Waypoint. Archived from the original on May 8, 2019. Retrieved May 5, 2019.
  56. ^ Warren, Tom (May 17, 2018). "Microsoft's new Halo arcade game lives inside a giant coin-operated machine". The Verge. Archived from the original on May 18, 2018. Retrieved May 17, 2018.
  57. ^ "Raw Thrills and Microsoft join forces to bring Halo to arcades". Arcade Heroes. May 18, 2018. Archived from the original on September 27, 2018. Retrieved October 11, 2018.
  58. ^ Terdiman, Daniel (October 18, 2004). "I Love Bees Game a Surprise Hit". Wired News. Archived from the original on October 15, 2014. Retrieved March 19, 2008.
  59. ^ Shachman, Noah (November 4, 2004). "Sci-Fi Fans Are Called Into an Alternate Reality". The New York Times. Archived from the original on September 25, 2013. Retrieved March 19, 2008.
  60. ^ Hein, Kenneth (September 10, 2007). "Anatomy Of An Onslaught: How Halo 3 Attacked". Brandweek. Archived from the original on February 10, 2008. Retrieved March 20, 2008.
  61. ^ Thorsen, Tor (June 18, 2004). "Rumor Control: Halo GBA and Dirty Harry: The Game". GameSpot. Archived from the original on February 19, 2006. Retrieved June 6, 2008.
  62. ^ Thorsen, Tor (January 7, 2005). "Rumor Control: Xbox Next Patents and Gizmondo Halo". GameSpot. Archived from the original on December 1, 2008. Retrieved June 6, 2008.
  63. ^ Grant, Christopher (May 5, 2006). "Gizmondo Halo "project" used cam-mouselook". Joystiq. Archived from the original on November 7, 2011. Retrieved June 6, 2008.
  64. ^ Thorsen, Tor (March 9, 2006). "Origami officially unveiled". GameSpot. Archived from the original on October 7, 2008. Retrieved June 12, 2008.
  65. ^ Casamassina, Matt (January 1, 2007). "Matt Casamassina claims playing Halo DS". IGN. Archived from the original on September 7, 2007. Retrieved October 2, 2007.
  66. ^ Casamassina, Matt (October 2, 2007). "Matt Casamassina demonstrates 'Halo DS'". IGN. Archived from the original on December 16, 2008. Retrieved October 2, 2007.
  67. ^ Crecente, Brian (October 5, 2007). "Bungie Owns Bungie: The Q&A". Kotaku. Archived from the original on October 11, 2007. Retrieved October 5, 2007.
  68. ^ O'Connor, Frank (April 25, 2008). "Bungie Weekly Update 04/25/08". Bungie. Archived from the original on June 11, 2009. Retrieved April 23, 2009.
  69. ^ Robinson, Andy (August 1, 2008). "Microsoft STILL hiring for Halo Chronicles". Computer and Video Games. Archived from the original on August 22, 2008. Retrieved February 9, 2009.
  70. ^ Fritz, Ben (July 27, 2009). "Halo project dead, Peter Jackson's working on original video games". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on July 31, 2009. Retrieved July 28, 2009.
  71. ^ Kelly, Kevin (July 24, 2009). "Peter Jackson tells Joystiq about the Halo movie, video game project". Joystiq. Archived from the original on November 7, 2011. Retrieved July 24, 2009.
  72. ^ Nutt, Christian (July 24, 2009). "Reports: Halo: Reach Bungie's Last Halo Game, More". Gamasutra. Archived from the original on July 29, 2020. Retrieved July 25, 2009.
  73. ^ Staff (September 23, 2008). "Exclusive: Ensemble Studios' Canceled Project Was Halo MMO". Gamasutra. Archived from the original on November 10, 2010. Retrieved October 27, 2009.
  74. ^ "HALO MMO (Titan) [X360 PC – Cancelled] – Unseen 64". Unseen 64: Beta, Cancelled & Unseen Videogames!. Archived from the original on April 23, 2012.
  75. ^ Halo DS Nintendo DS Video - On-Camera Halo DS Demo - IGN, October 2, 2007, retrieved February 20, 2024
  76. ^ "Bungie: If Halo DS existed it wasn't from us". Siliconera. July 18, 2007. Retrieved February 20, 2024.
  77. ^ "Halo Online closed beta launching in Russia". Halo Waypoint. Microsoft. March 25, 2015. Archived from the original on March 26, 2015. Retrieved March 26, 2015.
  78. ^ Francis, Bryant (August 25, 2016). "Microsoft cancels free-to-play Halo Online". Gamasutra. UBM. Archived from the original on August 25, 2016. Retrieved August 25, 2016.
  79. ^ "Russian free-to-play Halo Online canceled". Polygon. Archived from the original on February 15, 2021. Retrieved April 24, 2018.
  80. ^ "Unofficial Halo Online mod adds six new maps from Halo 3". pcgamer. Archived from the original on February 2, 2017. Retrieved January 30, 2017.
  81. ^ "ElDewrito: Microsoft Freezes Development of Fan-Made 'Halo Online' Mod". Variety. Archived from the original on January 27, 2022. Retrieved April 25, 2018.
  82. ^ Horti, Samuel (March 23, 2019). "Halo ElDewrito modders gave Microsoft 'a kick in the pants' over Master Chief Collection". PC Gamer. Archived from the original on September 29, 2020. Retrieved June 21, 2019.
  83. ^ "Halo ElDewrito modders are the reason MCC is coming to PC "right now"". PCGamesN. March 23, 2019. Archived from the original on December 5, 2020. Retrieved June 21, 2019.
  84. ^ "It's 2021 And Halo 3 Is Still Getting New Maps". Kotaku. August 28, 2021. Retrieved July 5, 2024.
  85. ^ O'Connor, Frank (December 13, 2005). "Go Tell the Spartans: The Making of Slugfest". Bungie. Archived from the original on March 19, 2008. Retrieved October 10, 2007.
  86. ^ McWhertor, Michael (February 21, 2016). "Halo's The Arbiter is coming to Killer Instinct Season 3". Polygon. Vox Media. Archived from the original on February 23, 2016. Retrieved February 22, 2016.
  87. ^ "Halo's Master Chief is Coming to Fortnite with Classic Map Blood Gulch". Game Informer. Archived from the original on May 10, 2021. Retrieved May 27, 2021.
  88. ^ Zimmerman, Conrad (August 2, 2010). "Master Chief joins the Atari age in Halo 2600". Destructoid. Retrieved March 21, 2013.
  89. ^ Hryb, Larry (November 21, 2007). "Guitar Hero III: Halo Theme Mjolnir Mix (Free)". Major Nelson. Archived from the original on June 9, 2012. Retrieved June 9, 2012.
  90. ^ Birch, Nathan (August 21, 2018). "Forza Horizon 4 Halo-Themed Event Confirmed, Beautiful New 4K Footage Released". Wccftech. Retrieved November 17, 2022.
  91. ^ a b O'Connor, Frank (April 12, 2006). "The Bungie Guide to Sci Fi". Bungie. Archived from the original on October 18, 2012. Retrieved May 12, 2012.
  92. ^ a b c d Anon. (2010). Mott, Tony (ed.). "2001: A Space Odyssey". Edge. No. 215. p. 86. Published online as: "The Best Games Of 2000 To 2009: Halo: Combat Evolved". Edge-Online.com. April 29, 2011. Archived from the original on June 29, 2012. Retrieved May 12, 2012.
  93. ^ a b Perry, Douglass C. (March 17, 2007). "The Influence of Literature and Myth in Videogames". IGN. Archived from the original on February 20, 2009. Retrieved December 10, 2007.
  94. ^ Stover, Matthew (2006). Yeffeth, Glenn (ed.). Halo Effect. You Are the Master Chief. Dallas, Texas: Benbella Books. ISBN 978-1-933771-11-3.
  95. ^ "All the Right Moves". Bungie. February 18, 2010. Archived from the original on June 7, 2010. Retrieved June 20, 2010.
  96. ^ Travis, Roger (October 10, 2006). "Bungie's Epic Achievement: Halo and the Aeneid". The Escapist. Archived from the original on November 21, 2007. Retrieved December 10, 2007.
  97. ^ a b Gerstmann, Jeff (September 23, 2007). "Halo 3 Review". gamespot.com. Retrieved June 5, 2020.
  98. ^ "2007 Year in Review". Play. United States. February 2008.
  99. ^ "Playing in the Dark". Edge. United Kingdom. December 2007.
  100. ^ Shoemaker, Brad (August 24, 2007). "GC '07: Halo 3's Forge (and the Campaign, Too)". gamespot.com. Retrieved June 5, 2020.
  101. ^ Caron, Frank (October 2, 2007). "The Showdown: Did Halo 3 live up to the hype?". arstechnica.com. Retrieved July 10, 2020.
  102. ^ Arendt, Susan (December 14, 2007). "Portrait of a Halo 3 Forge Artist". wired.com. Retrieved June 6, 2020.
  103. ^ Hall, Charlie (February 23, 2016). "Halo 5 is bringing back Grifball, but what on earth is it?". polygon.com. Retrieved July 2, 2020.
  104. ^ Olson, Mathew (July 14, 2020). "How Halo 3's Forge Mode Led One Dev to Get Hired for Halo Infinite". usgamer.net. Archived from the original on August 29, 2020. Retrieved August 28, 2020.
  105. ^ Jared Moore (September 17, 2021). "Splitgate Devs Say Their Game Will Have Forge Mode Before Halo Infinite". IGN. Retrieved September 17, 2021.[permanent dead link]
  106. ^ Haske, Steven (May 30, 2017). "The Complete, Untold History of Halo". Vice. Archived from the original on March 15, 2018. Retrieved March 27, 2018.
  107. ^ Marks, Aaron (December 2, 2002). "The Use and Effectiveness of Audio in Halo: Game Music Evolved". Music4Games. Archived from the original on October 11, 2007. Retrieved September 6, 2006.
  108. ^ O'Donnell, Martin (2002). "Introduction". Halo: Original Soundtrack (Media notes). Sumthing.
  109. ^ Schweitzer, Vivien (December 26, 2008). "Aliens Are Attacking. Cue the Strings". The New York Times. Archived from the original on September 18, 2020. Retrieved February 12, 2020.
  110. ^ a b O'Donnell, Martin (2006). "Introduction". Halo 2 Original Soundtrack: Volume Two (Media notes). Sumthing.
  111. ^ O'Donnell, Martin (2006). "Introduction". Halo 2 Original Soundtrack: Volume One (Media notes). Sumthing.
  112. ^ O'Connor, Frank; O'Donnell, Martin; Smith, Luke; Jarrard, Brian. "Bungie Podcast Ep. 51: With Martin O'Donnell". Bungie. Archived from the original on July 13, 2007. Retrieved December 10, 2007.
  113. ^ O'Donnell, Martin (2007). "Introduction". Halo 3 Original Soundtrack (Media notes). Sumthing.
  114. ^ Staff (September 20, 2007). "Interview with Halo 3 Composer Marty O'Donnell". Music4Games. Archived from the original on March 9, 2008. Retrieved April 13, 2008.
  115. ^ Traiman, Steve (December 1, 2008). ""Halo Trilogy" soundtrack set previews new game". Reuters. Archived from the original on December 16, 2008. Retrieved December 3, 2008.
  116. ^ Damigella, Rick (September 19, 2009). "Halo 3: ODST Soundtrack Review – Music for Repelling the Covenant". G4tv.com. Archived from the original on September 24, 2012. Retrieved May 30, 2011.
  117. ^ Bedegian, Louis (February 13, 2009). "GameZone Chats with Halo Wars Composer Stephen Rippy". GameZone. Archived from the original on January 23, 2010. Retrieved February 17, 2009.
  118. ^ "Sumthing Else Music Works announces release of Halo Wars Original Soundtrack" (Press release). Sumthing Else Music Works. January 15, 2009. Archived from the original on February 19, 2009. Retrieved February 15, 2009 – via Music4Games.
  119. ^ Solomon, Rizal (January 10, 2009). "Saturday Halo onslaught". New Straits Times. p. 4.
  120. ^ Pachner, Joanna (May 29, 2009). "The Empire Strikes Back". The Globe and Mail. p. 52. Archived from the original on December 26, 2017. Retrieved August 22, 2017.
  121. ^ Longdale, Holly. "Game Worlds in Written Words". Xbox.com. Archived from the original on February 28, 2007. Retrieved September 2, 2006.
  122. ^ a b Klepek, Patrick (May 5, 2003). "Halo novel cracks bestseller". Gaming Age. Archived from the original on October 11, 2007. Retrieved September 2, 2006.
  123. ^ "The Next Halo Novel: Ghosts of Onyx". Bungie. August 29, 2006. Archived from the original on October 19, 2006. Retrieved September 2, 2006.
  124. ^ "Bestselling Author Karen Traviss Set to Explore the Halo Universe". Halo.Xbox.com. Microsoft. July 20, 2010. Archived from the original on July 23, 2010. Retrieved July 20, 2010.
  125. ^ Staff (October 8, 2010). "Science Fiction Legend Greg Bear Set to Explore the Time of the Forerunners". Halo Waypoint. Microsoft. Archived from the original on October 8, 2010.
  126. ^ GrimBrother One (January 22, 2015). "Bam, said the lady". Halo Waypoint. Archived from the original on April 13, 2016. Retrieved January 20, 2018.
  127. ^ Hillier, Brenna (November 4, 2014). "Read a chunk of the new Halo novel". VG 24/7. Archived from the original on November 4, 2014. Retrieved November 4, 2014.
  128. ^ Thorson, Tor (August 12, 2009). "Tor Books forging Halo short-story comp". GameSpot. Archived from the original on April 1, 2014. Retrieved September 12, 2009.
  129. ^ Parker, Laura (May 19, 2010). "Halo novels get a makeover". GameSpot. Archived from the original on May 23, 2010. Retrieved May 19, 2010.
  130. ^ "The Write Stuff". Halo – Official Site. May 13, 2016. Archived from the original on August 7, 2019. Retrieved January 20, 2018.
  131. ^ Staff. "Halo Graphic Novel at IGN". IGN. Archived from the original on June 15, 2011. Retrieved September 2, 2006.
  132. ^ George, Richard (May 18, 2007). "IGN Exclusive Interview – Halo: Uprising". IGN. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on July 21, 2011. Retrieved April 24, 2008.[undue weight? – discuss]
  133. ^ "Halo Uprising #4 Hits Stores Today!". Marvel Comics. April 15, 2009. Archived from the original on April 19, 2009. Retrieved April 17, 2009.
  134. ^ Collura, Scott (February 7, 2009). "NYCC 09: Halo Returns to Marvel". IGN. Archived from the original on February 10, 2009. Retrieved February 8, 2009.
  135. ^ Bailey, Kat (April 22, 2009). "Halo: Helljumpers Coming This July". 1UP.com. Archived from the original on July 30, 2012. Retrieved April 22, 2009.
  136. ^ George, Richard (February 8, 2009). "The Halo War Continues at Marvel". IGN. Archived from the original on February 12, 2009. Retrieved February 14, 2009.
  137. ^ George, David (September 22, 2009). "Marvel's December '09 Releases". IGN. Archived from the original on September 26, 2009. Retrieved September 23, 2009.
  138. ^ Schedeen, Jesse; Esposito, Joey (April 28, 2011). "Halo: Orchestrating the Fall of Reach". IGN. Ziff Davis. Retrieved September 21, 2015.
  139. ^ Schedeen, Jesse (August 14, 2013). "Halo: Initiation #1 Review". IGN. Ziff Davis. Retrieved September 21, 2015.
  140. ^ Schedeen, Jesse (July 22, 2013). "Comic-Con: Halo Goes Ongoing at Dark Horse". IGN. Ziff Davis. Retrieved September 21, 2015.
  141. ^ Linder, Brian (February 3, 2005). "Halo Goes Hollywood". IGN. Archived from the original on December 7, 2006. Retrieved September 9, 2006.
  142. ^ a b Brodesser-Akner, Claude (October 6, 2010). "The New Halo Game Is a Hit – So What's the Status of the Halo Movie?". New York. Archived from the original on October 9, 2010. Retrieved October 8, 2010.
  143. ^ Staten, Joseph. "The Great Hollywood Journey, Part II". Bungie. Archived from the original on October 25, 2005. Retrieved September 9, 2006.
  144. ^ Hewitt, Chris (February 8, 2008). "Guillermo Del Toro Talks The Hobbit". Empire. Archived from the original on November 7, 2011. Retrieved February 8, 2008.
  145. ^ Fritz, Ben (October 31, 2006). "No home for 'Halo' pic". Variety. Archived from the original on December 12, 2007. Retrieved October 20, 2007.
  146. ^ Thorsen, Tor (October 31, 2006). "Halo movie indefinitely postponed". GameSpot. Archived from the original on February 27, 2007. Retrieved March 13, 2007.
  147. ^ Farrell, Nick (October 9, 2007). "Halo movie canned". The Inquirer. Archived from the original on June 10, 2011. Retrieved May 30, 2008.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  148. ^ Robinson, Andy (October 29, 2007). "Q&A: MS "already in talks" to continue Halo film". Computer and Video Games. Archived from the original on October 30, 2007. Retrieved October 30, 2007.
  149. ^ Chen, David (July 24, 2009). "Confirmed: Director Neill Blomkamp Would Probably Not Do a Halo Film, Even If Offered One". /Film. Archived from the original on July 27, 2009. Retrieved July 24, 2009.
  150. ^ Blomkamp, Neill; Jackson, Peter (July 27, 2009). "Halo Movie Interview – SDCC 09: Will Halo Still Happen?". IGN. Archived from the original on August 19, 2010. Retrieved July 27, 2009.
  151. ^ Stanton, Rich (August 23, 2021). "Neill Blomkamp ripped his ear off in a Warthog while filming Halo". PC Gamer. Archived from the original on October 26, 2021. Retrieved October 26, 2021.
  152. ^ "RIDLEY SCOTT AND MICROSOFT TEAM FOR HALO DIGITAL FEATURE". IGN. Archived from the original on April 3, 2014. Retrieved February 3, 2014.
  153. ^ "News: Halo: Nightfall first look: meet". Archived from the original on December 30, 2014. Retrieved September 24, 2014.
  154. ^ Gilbert, Henry (July 24, 2014). "Halo: Nightfall is the origin story of next big Spartan". Archived from the original on August 7, 2019. Retrieved February 18, 2020.
  155. ^ "Eerste boek Borderlands verschenen". Meer dan Games. July 24, 2014. Archived from the original on July 28, 2014. Retrieved July 25, 2014.
  156. ^ LeBlanc, Brandon (November 11, 2014). "Immerse yourself in the Halo Universe with The Halo Channel". Windows Blog. Microsoft. Archived from the original on February 24, 2015. Retrieved February 24, 2015.
  157. ^ Phillips, Tom (February 24, 2015). "Halo: Nightfall available on demand, DVD next month". Eurogamer. Archived from the original on February 24, 2015. Retrieved February 24, 2015.
  158. ^ El Mayimbe (January 25, 2014). "EXCLUSIVE: Take A Guess Who's Directing Spielberg Produced 'Halo' Pilot!". Latino Review. Archived from the original on January 29, 2014.
  159. ^ Goldman, Eric (August 11, 2015). "Showtime Still Developing Halo TV Series". IGN. Archived from the original on August 7, 2019. Retrieved August 11, 2015.
  160. ^ "Spielberg's Halo TV Series Starts Filming This Fall". Screen Rant. March 1, 2018. Archived from the original on August 7, 2019. Retrieved March 1, 2018.
  161. ^ "Halo TV show finally greenlit by Showtime: 'Our most ambitious series ever". Entertainment Weekly. June 28, 2018. Archived from the original on August 7, 2019. Retrieved April 13, 2019.
  162. ^ "Showtime's Halo TV Show Loses Producer/Director Rupert Wyatt". Screen Rant. December 4, 2018. Archived from the original on August 7, 2019. Retrieved April 13, 2019.
  163. ^ "Showtime's Halo TV Series Hires Robin Hood Director Otto Bathurst". Screen Rant. February 21, 2019. Archived from the original on August 7, 2019. Retrieved April 13, 2019.
  164. ^ "Pablo Schreiber to Play Master Chief in Showtime's 'Halo' Live-Action Series". The Hollywood Reporter. April 17, 2019. Archived from the original on July 2, 2020. Retrieved April 17, 2019.
  165. ^ "'Halo': Natascha McElhone & Bokeem Woodbine Among Six Cast In Showtime Series Based On Xbox Franchise". Deadline. August 2, 2019. Archived from the original on May 14, 2020. Retrieved August 2, 2019.
  166. ^ "Defending Jacob's Pablo Schreiber on Apple TV+ Drama and Halo TV Show". Collider. July 22, 2020. Archived from the original on November 6, 2020. Retrieved November 23, 2020.
  167. ^ Halo TV Series Recasts Cortana With Original Voice Actress – IGN, November 11, 2020, archived from the original on November 13, 2020, retrieved November 23, 2020
  168. ^ "'Halo': Paramount+ Touts A "New Beginning" in Trailer for Video Game Series Starring Pablo Schreiber". December 10, 2021. Archived from the original on December 10, 2021. Retrieved December 10, 2021.
  169. ^ Bailey, Kat; Bankhurst, Adam (January 30, 2022). "Halo TV Series Release Date and Official Trailer Revealed". IGN. Archived from the original on January 31, 2022. Retrieved January 31, 2022.
  170. ^ Sinclair, Brendan (January 7, 2010). "Halo Legends slips to Feb. 16". GameSpot. Archived from the original on February 4, 2012. Retrieved January 25, 2010.
  171. ^ Goldstein, Hilary; Brudvig, Erik (July 23, 2009). "SDCC 09: Halo Panel Live Blog". IGN. Archived from the original on July 25, 2009. Retrieved July 24, 2009.
  172. ^ Futter, Mike (July 10, 2015). "Halo: The Fall Of Reach Animated Series Comes With Halo 5 Collector's Editions". Game Informer. GameStop. Archived from the original on October 27, 2015. Retrieved September 21, 2015.
  173. ^ Mejia, Ozzie (July 10, 2015). "Halo: The Fall of Reach gets first teaser while Halo Channel goes mobile". Shacknews. Archived from the original on September 25, 2015. Retrieved September 21, 2015.
  174. ^ "Prepare for all-out war". The Sydney Morning Herald. Fairfax Media. August 30, 2007. p. 1. Archived from the original on November 6, 2012. Retrieved March 3, 2015.
  175. ^ Martin, Matt (January 8, 2009). "Halo series sells 25m worldwide". GamesIndustry.biz. Gamer Network. Archived from the original on October 17, 2014. Retrieved March 3, 2015.
  176. ^ Osborne, Eric (May 24, 2010). "Halo: Reach Launches 09.14.2010!". Bungie. Archived from the original on October 26, 2014. Retrieved March 3, 2015.
  177. ^ Yin-Poole, Wesley (October 31, 2012). "More than 46 million Halo games have been sold worldwide". Eurogamer. Gamer Network. Archived from the original on July 17, 2015. Retrieved March 3, 2015.
  178. ^ "Halo: The Master Chief Collection Now Available for Pre-order and Pre-download". Xbox Wire. Microsoft. October 17, 2014. Archived from the original on February 13, 2015. Retrieved March 3, 2015.
  179. ^ Makuch, Eddie (July 13, 2015). "Halo Series Reaches 65 Million Units Sold". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on July 14, 2015. Retrieved July 13, 2015.
  180. ^ a b Andreeva, Nellie (February 24, 2021). "'Halo' TV Series Moves From Showtime To Paramount+". Deadline. Archived from the original on February 25, 2021. Retrieved February 26, 2021.
  181. ^ "Halo: Combat Evolved Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on January 21, 2021. Retrieved November 15, 2011.
  182. ^ "Halo: Combat Evolved Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on November 17, 2011. Retrieved November 15, 2011.
  183. ^ "Halo 2 Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on January 21, 2021. Retrieved November 15, 2011.
  184. ^ "Halo 2 Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on January 14, 2012. Retrieved November 15, 2011.
  185. ^ "Halo 3 Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on October 29, 2011. Retrieved November 15, 2011.
  186. ^ "Halo: The Master Chief Collection – Halo 3 for PC Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on November 5, 2020. Retrieved April 14, 2021.
  187. ^ "Halo Wars Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on November 5, 2012. Retrieved October 20, 2012.
  188. ^ "Halo 3: ODST Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on October 22, 2012. Retrieved October 20, 2012.
  189. ^ "Halo: Reach Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on October 23, 2012. Retrieved October 20, 2012.
  190. ^ "Halo: Reach Remastered for PC Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on May 31, 2021. Retrieved April 14, 2021.
  191. ^ "Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on November 13, 2011. Retrieved November 15, 2011.
  192. ^ "Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary for PC Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on May 25, 2021. Retrieved April 14, 2021.
  193. ^ "Halo 4 Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on November 17, 2012. Retrieved November 17, 2012.
  194. ^ "Halo: Spartan Assault for PC Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on August 25, 2013. Retrieved November 12, 2014.
  195. ^ "Halo: Spartan Assault for Xbox One Review". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on December 25, 2013. Retrieved November 12, 2014.
  196. ^ "Halo: Spartan Assault for Xbox 360 Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on December 27, 2013. Retrieved November 12, 2014.
  197. ^ "Halo: The Master Chief Collection for Xbox One Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on July 6, 2020. Retrieved February 13, 2015.
  198. ^ "Halo: Spartan Strike for iPhone/iPad Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on October 6, 2015. Retrieved October 3, 2015.
  199. ^ "Halo: Spartan Strike for PC Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on October 25, 2015. Retrieved October 3, 2015.
  200. ^ "Halo 5: Guardians for Xbox One Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on October 25, 2015. Retrieved October 26, 2015.
  201. ^ "Halo Wars 2 for Xbox One Reviews". Metacritic. Archived from the original on March 11, 2019. Retrieved April 16, 2020.
  202. ^ "Halo Wars 2 for PC Reviews". Metacritic. Archived from the original on June 13, 2017. Retrieved April 16, 2020.
  203. ^ "Halo Infinite for Xbox Series X Reviews". Metacritic. Archived from the original on December 6, 2021. Retrieved December 6, 2021.
  204. ^ "Halo Infinite for PC Reviews". Metacritic. Archived from the original on December 6, 2021. Retrieved December 6, 2021.
  205. ^ Patrizio, Andy (January 8, 2002). "Xbox Assault Only Starting". Wired. Condé Nast. Archived from the original on October 16, 2014. Retrieved September 27, 2006.
  206. ^ Thorsen, Tor (November 10, 2004). "Microsoft raises estimated first-day Halo 2 sales to $124 million-plus". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on March 3, 2014. Retrieved March 15, 2006.
  207. ^ "November 9 – By the Numbers". Official Xbox Magazine. No. 40. January 2005. p. 15.
  208. ^ Glenday, Craig, ed. (March 11, 2008). "Review of the Year: 2007 Chart". Guinness World Records Gamer's Edition 2008. Guinness World Records. Guinness. p. 14. ISBN 978-1-904994-21-3.
  209. ^ Glenday, Craig, ed. (March 11, 2008). "Hardware: Best-Sellers by Platform". Guinness World Records Gamer's Edition 2008. Guinness World Records. Guinness. p. 51. ISBN 978-1-904994-21-3.
  210. ^ Islam, Zak (July 11, 2011). "Respawn Entertainment's Next Game Will be Halo Killer". PlayStation LifeStyle. Archived from the original on June 1, 2012. Retrieved July 23, 2012.
  211. ^ Glenday, Craig, ed. (March 11, 2008). "Hardware History II". Guinness World Records Gamer's Edition 2008. Guinness World Records. Guinness. p. 27. ISBN 978-1-904994-21-3.
  212. ^ Makuch, Eddie (November 10, 2021). "Halo Hits 81 Million Copies Sold Ahead Of Halo Infinite's Release". GameSpot. Archived from the original on November 10, 2021. Retrieved November 11, 2021.
  213. ^ Trust, Gary (September 23, 2010). "Weekly Chart Notes: Bruno Mars, Rihanna, 'Halo'". Billboard. Archived from the original on September 27, 2010. Retrieved September 26, 2010.
  214. ^ "GameSpy.com – Gaming's Homepage". Archived from the original on February 24, 2006.
  215. ^ "Halo News – Halo Official Site – Tor Books Reveals Title, Cover Art, And Release Date of Second Halo Novel By Greg Bear". Archived from the original on July 22, 2011.
  216. ^ Bs Angel (January 3, 2012). "Tor Books Announces the On-sale Availability of Halo: Primordium". Halo Waypoint. Archived from the original on July 17, 2012.
  217. ^ Brustein, Joshua (October 22, 2015). "Can the Woman Behind Halo 5 Save the Xbox?". Bloomberg Business. Archived from the original on October 23, 2015. Retrieved November 11, 2015.
  218. ^ "BC-Best-sellers-Books-PW". San Francisco Chronicle. Associated Press. December 4, 2008. Archived from the original on February 20, 2009. Retrieved December 5, 2008.
  219. ^ Greene, Marty. "First Strike Author Eric Nylund Q&A". Xbox.com. Archived from the original on August 21, 2006. Retrieved September 2, 2006.
  220. ^ Brightman, James (November 19, 2007). "Halo: Contact Harvest Becomes New York Times Bestseller in First Week". GameDaily.com. Archived from the original on February 15, 2009. Retrieved January 15, 2008.
  221. ^ Berardini, Cesar (August 5, 2007). "Halo: Ghosts of Onyx Enjoys Mass Market Debut Today". Team Xbox. Archived from the original on March 14, 2008. Retrieved April 13, 2008.
  222. ^ "Best Sellers". The New York Times. January 23, 2011. Archived from the original on October 20, 2012. Retrieved August 17, 2012.
  223. ^ "Best Sellers". The New York Times. January 23, 2011. Archived from the original on October 4, 2012. Retrieved August 17, 2012.
  224. ^ "BC-Best-sellers-Books-USAToday". San Francisco Chronicle. Associated Press. December 4, 2008. Archived from the original on April 22, 2009. Retrieved December 5, 2008.
  225. ^ "New Halo Trilogy from Tor Books". Halo.Xbox.com. Microsoft. April 6, 2009. Archived from the original on May 15, 2009. Retrieved July 24, 2009.
  226. ^ "The Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences:: Awards". The Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. February 28, 2002. Archived from the original on September 29, 2007. Retrieved September 1, 2006.
  227. ^ "Halo: Combat Evolved – Awards". Xbox.com. Archived from the original on December 10, 2006. Retrieved September 1, 2006.
  228. ^ a b Perry, Douglass C.; Brudvig, Erik; Miller, Jon (March 17, 2007). "The Top 25 Xbox Games of All Time". IGN. Archived from the original on March 20, 2007. Retrieved April 23, 2008.
  229. ^ "Readers' Picks Top 100 Games: 11–20". IGN Readers' Choice 2006 – The Top 100 Games Ever. IGN. 2006. Archived from the original on August 31, 2011. Retrieved January 23, 2008.
  230. ^ "Top 25 Most Overrated Games of All Time". GameSpy. September 15, 2003. Archived from the original on May 13, 2011. Retrieved June 26, 2006.
  231. ^ "Halo 2 Awards". Xbox.com. Archived from the original on June 26, 2007. Retrieved February 12, 2007.
  232. ^ "Halo 2 tops Live most-played list". Eurogamer. February 21, 2006. Archived from the original on December 16, 2008. Retrieved March 18, 2008.
  233. ^ Grossman, Lev (December 9, 2007). "50 Top 10 Lists of 2007 – Top 10 Video Games". Time. Archived from the original on December 12, 2007. Retrieved March 10, 2008.
  234. ^ "Best of 2007: Best Online Multiplayer Game (Xbox 360)". IGN. Archived from the original on January 10, 2008. Retrieved January 14, 2008.
  235. ^ "Best of 2007: Most Innovative Design (Xbox 360)". IGN. Archived from the original on January 10, 2008. Retrieved January 14, 2008.
  236. ^ Goldstein, Hilary (September 23, 2007). "IGN (USA) Halo 3 Review". IGN. Archived from the original on October 11, 2007. Retrieved September 23, 2007.
  237. ^ a b Graziani, Gabe (September 23, 2007). "GameSpy Halo 3 Review". GameSpy. Archived from the original on October 5, 2007. Retrieved September 23, 2007.
  238. ^ Herold, Charles (September 27, 2007). "Halo 3 Mimics Halo 2, With Some Improved Graphic". The New York Times. Retrieved October 3, 2007.
  239. ^ Wilcox, Jon (September 27, 2007). "TVG Review: Halo 3". Total Video Games. Archived from the original on December 14, 2007. Retrieved October 3, 2007.
  240. ^ Boulding, Aaron (November 9, 2001). "Halo: Combat Evolved review at IGN". IGN. Archived from the original on April 1, 2002. Retrieved August 31, 2006.
  241. ^ McNamara, Andy. "Halo 2 review at Game Informer". Game Informer. Archived from the original on January 9, 2006. Retrieved February 9, 2007.
  242. ^ "Master Chief Invades Madame Tussauds". Microsoft. September 10, 2007. Archived from the original on September 16, 2007. Retrieved September 21, 2007.
  243. ^ "Hail to the Chief". gamesTM (61): 30–41. September 2007.
  244. ^ Brightman, James (November 17, 2004). "Halo 2's Success A Part of Pop Culture". GameDaily. Archived from the original on February 20, 2009. Retrieved November 13, 2007.
  245. ^ Beatty, D'Marcus. "Halo Influence on the Gaming Industry". CheatCC.com. Archived from the original on November 12, 2007. Retrieved November 13, 2007.
  246. ^ Graser, Mark (September 4, 2010). "'Halo': the care and feeding of a franchise". Variety. Archived from the original on September 12, 2010. Retrieved October 2, 2010.
  247. ^ Kohnstamm, Thomas. "The 'Halo 5' Effect". Microsoft Story Labs. Microsoft. Archived from the original on February 19, 2020. Retrieved February 19, 2020.
  248. ^ Chong, David (April 15, 2008). "Turning video games into movies". Marketplace. American Public Media. Archived from the original on September 27, 2011. Retrieved May 12, 2008.
  249. ^ Price, Peter (October 16, 2007). "Machinima waits to go mainstream". BBC. Archived from the original on October 18, 2007. Retrieved February 11, 2009.
  250. ^ a b Glenday, Craig, ed. (March 11, 2008). "Record-Breaking Shooting Games: Halo". Guinness World Records Gamer's Edition 2008. Guinness World Records. Guinness. pp. 98–99. ISBN 978-1-904994-21-3.
  251. ^ Thompson, Clive (August 7, 2005). "The Xbox Auteurs". The New York Times. Archived from the original on January 9, 2006. Retrieved January 8, 2006.
  252. ^ Kohler, Chris (June 26, 2007). "Machinima Series Red vs. Blue Ends Tour of Duty". Wired. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved June 13, 2011.
  253. ^ Gallaga, Omar (March 27, 2007). "Game Over [Final Edition]". Austin American-Statesman. p. F1.
  254. ^ Agnello, Anthony (November 11, 2019). "When 'Halo 2' Invaded Planet Earth". The Ringer. Archived from the original on December 18, 2019. Retrieved January 24, 2020.
  255. ^ Mnemesis (August 31, 2002). "Halo National Finals". Bungie.net. Archived from the original on October 13, 2014. Retrieved August 17, 2020.
  256. ^ Jarrard, Brian (November 7, 2003). "Interview with the AGP". Bungie.net. Archived from the original on October 13, 2014. Retrieved August 17, 2020.
  257. ^ Kix, Paul (2005). "Have Gun Will Travel". In Yeffeth, Glenn (ed.). Halo Effect. BenBella Books.
  258. ^ Gies, Arthur (November 5, 2014). "Halo gets serious about eSports with the Halo Championship Series". Polygon. Archived from the original on December 10, 2015. Retrieved December 8, 2015.
  259. ^ Puga, Lauren (November 4, 2015). "Halo Gets Official eSports League: Halo Championship Series". IGN. Archived from the original on March 25, 2020. Retrieved April 16, 2020.
  260. ^ Mueller, Saira (August 4, 2015). "Microsoft's 'Halo' eSports Tournament, Halo Championship Series, Offers $1 Million Prize Money". International Business Times. Retrieved December 8, 2015.
  261. ^ Stubbsy, Mike (May 14, 2016). "The 10 largest console eSports prize pools ever". Red Bull. Archived from the original on February 6, 2021. Retrieved August 18, 2020.
edit
 
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Halo (series).
 
Wikiquote has quotations related to Halo (franchise).
Retrieved from "https://en.wiki.x.io/w/index.php?title=Halo_(franchise)&oldid=1256949396#Halo:_Nightfall"