Why did Bungie stop making Halo?

Bungie is a well-known company, and whenever you ask anybody about them, you are most likely going to hear the name Halo come up in response. However, Bungie has not been associated with Halo for a while now, so what exactly happened?

A common misconception is that Bungie owned Halo in its entirety when the truth is that it was always Microsoft's game. Bungie was contracted to make the series, but it meant that they could not pursue other gaming ventures and that Microsoft always had the final say on their work.

Bungie's contract with Microsoft came to a close in 2007, and after creating one of the best launch titles ever seen on console and its sequels, they decided that it was time to call it a day with Halo.

Related: Will Destiny 2 become a PlayStation exclusive game?

Bungie had wished to create something new for a while but had to finish their contract with the Halo series. Until they were free of Halo, they could not work on anything that could be a potential competitor as Halo was to be their primary and sole focus.

This is how Destiny came to be. As soon as Bungie was free of Microsoft they were able to create the game they had been envisioning for years. Destiny ended up having features that would remind players of Halo but Destiny is unique in its own way.

Bungie may have made the first few Halo games into fantastic examples of what early 2000s gaming could accomplish, but it was never theirs to fully own. Now, they are thriving with their own IP that has a large number of unique players that are very loyal to it.

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