Microsoft Game Studios Announces Halo for the PC and Mac
by VGLN Staff

Saturday, July 13, 2002

Would you believe it? PC and Mac versions are on the way. Gearbox and Destineer are doing the honours.

Agreements with Gearbox and Destineer expand platform options for best-selling first-person shooter

Microsoft Game Studios announced today development of the PC and Macintosh versions of the critically acclaimed XboxTM first-person shooter, "HaloTM: Combat Evolved."

Initially developed for Xbox by Bungie Studios, "Halo: Combat Evolved" is a science-fiction first-person shooting game that takes place on a mysterious alien ring-world. The PC adaptation is being developed by Texas-based Gearbox Software and based on the game's original concept. Gearbox has a strong reputation for bringing triple-A gaming franchises to multiple platforms.

"PC gamers worldwide will soon be able to dig into the addictive gameplay of ‘Halo,'" said Stuart Moulder, general manager, Microsoft Game Studios. "By combining the success of 'Halo' on Xbox with Gearbox's proven talent in the first-person shooter genre, PC gamers are guaranteed a lively and ‘up-all-hours' single and multiplayer experience on the PC."

The award-winning "Halo: Combat Evolved" for Xbox earned the distinguished honor of being the fastest million-unit seller ever for any next-generation console according to NPDFunworld SM. Statistically, this means that more than six copies of "Halo: Combat Evolved" were sold every minute of every day between the launch of Xbox on November 15, 2001 and April 8, 2002.

"We've been dying to play Halo online with a PC ever since its spectacular launch last year," said Gearbox Software President Randy Pitchford. "The team at Gearbox has the experience and the talent to not only bring Halo to the PC, but also to add enhancements that exploit the multiplayer capabilities that PCs are known for."

The Macintosh version of "Halo: Combat Evolved" will be developed by Westlake Interactive and published by Destineer, which has brought other top Microsoft games to the Macintosh including "Age of Empires® II" and "Links® Championship Edition." Development of the Macintosh versions of "Halo" will occur simultaneously with Gearbox's development of the PC version.

"Our goal is for Mac and Windows users to battle each other on foot, in vehicles, and in the air next summer when the best first-person shooter ever created comes to both Macintosh and Windows," according to Destineer President Peter Tamte.

Halo for PC is expected to be available in summer 2003. The Macintosh version is also expected to be available in 2003. Additional information regarding game content, features and enhancements will be announced at a later date.

About Gearbox
Gearbox Software was founded in January of 1999 by a group of experienced 3d game artists, designers and engineers in Dallas, TX. Previously, the developers at Gearbox Software have contributed to many of the most acclaimed franchises in computer entertainment - including "Civilization," "Duke Nukem 3d," "Quake" and "Half-Life."

About Destineer
Destineer is both a developer and publisher of computer and video games. The company's "Destineer Studios" is creating a next-generation 3D engine and games for release on PCs, Macs, and videogame consoles, while its "Bold" label is bringing many of Microsoft's most popular games to the Macintosh.

About Bungie
Bungie was first founded in 1991 with two goals: to develop games that combine brilliant technology, beautiful art, intelligent stories and deep gameplay, and then sell enough of them to achieve their real goal of total world domination. Over the last 10 years Bungie has produced such games as the Marathon Trilogy, and the first two games in the Myth series, hailed as classics by critics and gamers around the world. Halo, their latest game, has achieved phenomenal success on Microsoft's Xbox video game system, selling over 1 million copies. In 2000, Bungie was acquired by Microsoft. More information on Bungie can be found at http://www.bungie.net.

About Microsoft Game Studios
Microsoft Game Studios is a leading worldwide publisher and developer of games for the PC, Xbox video game system and online platforms. Comprising a network of top developers, Microsoft Game Studios is committed to creating innovative and diverse game portfolios for PC (), including such franchises as "Age of Empires®," "Flight SimulatorTM" and "Zoo TycoonTM"; Xbox (), including such franchises as "HaloTM," "Project Gotham RacingTM" and "NFL Fever"; and Zone.com (), the official games channel for the MSN® network and home to such hits as "Bejeweled" and "OutsmartTM."