HALO
Halo is Xbox's flagship military science-fiction franchise originally created by Bungie in 2001 and managed by 343 Industries, which rebranded to Halo Studios in late 2024. Spanning over 15 video games, 30 canonical novels, animated films, live-action series, and tabletop games, the saga centers on humanity's fight for survival against the alien Covenant, the parasitic Flood, and ancient Forerunner megastructures known as Halo rings.
Cronologia
Panoramica
Created by Bungie in 2001 with the launch of Halo: Combat Evolved, Halo stands as Xbox’s premier military science-fiction franchise. Management of the intellectual property transferred to Microsoft's 343 Industries in 2011, which rebranded to Halo Studios in late 2024 alongside a major technical transition to Unreal Engine 5.
The expansive narrative universe encompasses over 15 mainline and spin-off video games—including 2026's Halo: Campaign Evolved—as well as five film and television adaptations, over 30 canonical novels, multiple comic series, and tabletop strategy games.
The core narrative depicts a 26th-century interstellar war between humanity's United Nations Space Command (UNSC) and the Covenant, a fanatical alien alliance worshipping ancient Forerunner technology. Central to the overarching story is Master Chief John-117, a SPARTAN-II supersoldier, and his AI companion Cortana. Across their journeys, characters uncover the ancient secrets of the Halo Array: seven ring-shaped galactic installations built 100,000 years ago by the Forerunners to starve the virulent parasitic hive-mind known as the Flood by purging all sentient biomass from the galaxy.
Origini
The franchise debuted in November 2001 with the release of Halo: Combat Evolved for the original Xbox console. Developed by Bungie, the title revolutionized first-person shooters on consoles and established the foundation for Xbox's brand identity.
The narrative introduced players to the UNSC, Master Chief John-117, Captain Jacob Keyes, and the alien Covenant on Installation 04 (Alpha Halo). According to deep franchise lore, the origins of the titular rings stretch back 100,000 years. Facing total extinction from the parasitic Flood, the Forerunner civilization constructed the Halo Array as a desperate last resort.
Managed by AI Monitors like 343 Guilty Spark, the network was fired by the Didact in 97,445 BCE, eradicating all biological life with a neural system across a 25,000 light-year radius per ring. Lifeworkers like The Librarian preserved genetic samples to reseed the galaxy post-activation. In the modern era, Bungie expanded the game's initial lore into a multimedia phenomenon with Eric Nylund's prequel novel Halo: The Fall of Reach (2001) and sequel titles Halo 2 (2004) and Halo 3 (2007).
I PEZZI DI HALO
Collezionismo
In the physical and tabletop gaming domain, Mantic Games produces the tabletop miniature system Halo: Flashpoint, expanding the universe into tactical tabletop skirmishes.
Building upon this system, Mantic Games announced Halo: Campaign Evolved – The Board Game, scheduled for release in late 2026.
Fans and physical media collectors also target official releases, compilation releases like Halo: The Master Chief Collection, and limited graphic novel editions.
Curiosità
* The Halo rings generate simulated surface gravity through centripetal force created by the constant spinning of the installation structure. * In October 2024, developer 343 Industries officially rebranded to Halo Studios, retiring its proprietary Slipspace Engine to develop future projects natively in Unreal Engine 5.
* The July 2026 launch of Halo: Campaign Evolved marked the historic first time a mainline Halo game released on a Sony PlayStation platform (PlayStation 5). * The Covenant fanatically believed that firing the Halo Array would trigger the 'Great Journey' to elevate them to godhood, unaware that its true function was mass sterilization.
Film
* Halo Legends (2010): Anime anthology feature film containing seven short stories animated by Bones, Production I.G, Studio 4°C, and Toei Animation.
* Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn (2012): Live-action web series compiled into a feature film recounting cadet Thomas Lasky's survival during an early Covenant attack. * Halo: The Fall of Reach (2015): Three-part animated adaptation detailing the origins of John-117 and the SPARTAN-II program.
Serie TV
* Halo: Nightfall (2014): Live-action digital mini-series executive produced by Ridley Scott, detailing Jameson Locke's origin story.
* Halo (2022–2024): Non-canonical live-action TV series on Paramount+ set in the standalone 'Silver Timeline', starring Pablo Schreiber as Master Chief.
Videogiochi
* Halo: Combat Evolved (2001) - Xbox / PC: The original launch title by Bungie that introduced Master Chief and Installation 04. * Halo 2 (2004) - Xbox / PC: Sequel that introduced playable Elite character The Arbiter and revolutionized Xbox Live multiplayer. * Halo 3 (2007) - Xbox 360: Blockbuster final entry in the original Bungie trilogy. * Halo Wars (2009) - Xbox 360: Real-time strategy prequel set in 2531, developed by Ensemble Studios. * Halo 3: ODST (2009) - Xbox 360: Spin-off narrative focusing on Orbital Drop Shock Troopers in New Mombasa during Halo 2. * Halo: Reach (2010) - Xbox 360: Prequel depicting Noble Team during the fall of planet Reach; Bungie's final Halo game. * Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary (2011) - Xbox 360: High-definition remastered edition of the original 2001 game. * Halo 4 (2012) - Xbox 360: First mainline title by 343 Industries, introducing the Forerunner Prometheans.
* Halo: Spartan Assault (2013) - Windows / iOS / Xbox 360 / Xbox One: Top-down twin-stick shooter set between Halo 3 and Halo 4. * Halo: The Master Chief Collection (2014) - Xbox One / PC: Massive anthology featuring Halo 1–4, ODST, Reach, and Halo 2 Anniversary. * Halo: Spartan Strike (2015) - Windows / iOS: Top-down twin-stick shooter tactical sequel. * Halo 5: Guardians (2015) - Xbox One: Mainline entry featuring Fireteam Osiris hunting Master Chief's Blue Team. * Halo Wars 2 (2017) - Xbox One / Windows: RTS sequel introducing Atriox and the Banished on Installation 00. * Halo Recruit (2017) - Windows Mixed Reality: Virtual reality technology demo experience. * Halo: Fireteam Raven (2018) - Arcade: On-rails co-op arcade shooter set during the events of Halo 1. * Halo Infinite (2021) - Xbox One / Series X|S / PC: Semi-open world campaign set on Zeta Halo. * Halo: Campaign Evolved (2026) - Xbox Series X|S / PC / PlayStation 5: Ground-up Unreal Engine 5 campaign remake featuring 4-player co-op.
Libri & Fumetti
* Halo: The Fall of Reach (2001): Novel by Eric Nylund establishing SPARTAN-II origins. * Halo: The Flood (2003): Novelization of Halo: Combat Evolved by William C. Dietz. * Halo: First Strike (2003): Novel by Eric Nylund bridging Halo 1 and Halo 2. * Halo: The Halo Graphic Novel (2006): Comic short story anthology published by Marvel Comics. * Halo: Ghosts of Onyx (2006): Novel by Eric Nylund introducing SPARTAN-III units and Onyx. * Halo: Contact Harvest (2007): Novel by Joseph Staten detailing humanity's first war with the Covenant. * Halo: Uprising (2007–2009): Marvel comic miniseries set between Halo 2 and Halo 3. * Halo: The Cole Protocol (2008): Novel by Tobias S. Buckell featuring Captain Jacob Keyes. * The Forerunner Saga (2011–2013): Novel trilogy by Greg Bear (Cryptum, Primordium, Silentium). * The Kilo-Five Trilogy (2011–2014): Novel trilogy by Karen Traviss (Glasslands, The Thursday War, Mortal Dictata).
* Halo: Escalation (2013–2015): Ongoing comic series connecting Halo 4 and Halo 5. * Alpha-Nine / Ferrets Series (2015–2021): Novels by Matt Forbeck and Troy Denning (New Blood, Last Light, Retribution, Bad Blood, Divine Wind). * Ace of Spades Series (2016–2021): Novel series by Kelly Gay (Smoke and Shadow, Renegades, Point of Light). * Master Chief Series (2018–2020): Novels by Troy Denning (Silent Storm, Oblivion, Shadows of Reach). * Halo: Collateral Damage (2018) & Halo: Lone Wolf (2019): Comic miniseries. * Halo: The Rubicon Protocol (2022): Novel by Kelly Gay set on Zeta Halo prior to Halo Infinite. * Halo: Outcasts (2023): Novel by Troy Denning featuring Arbiter Thel 'Vadam. * Halo: Epitaph (2024): Novel by Kelly Gay exploring the Didact inside the Domain. * Halo: Empty Throne (2024/2025): Novel by Jeremy Patenaude on the Created conflict aftermath. * Halo: Edge of Dawn (2025): Novel by Kelly Gay. * Halo: Parasite's Wake (2026): Novel by Tim Lebbon.
