How much money did Bungie sell Halo for?

As a passionate gamer and industry expert, I‘m often asked about Bungie‘s relationship with its legendary Halo franchise – specifically whether the studio ever sold the rights and for how much. It‘s a complex history, but the short answer is that while Bungie created Halo, they have not financially benefitted from the property since becoming independent in 2007. Let‘s take a deeper look.

The Early Days: Bungie Births an Icon

Before Halo even launched in 2001, Bungie was already an accomplished game developer, having made its name with the Myth and Marathon series. But Halo propelled them to new heights. Originally released as a launch exclusive for Microsoft‘s first Xbox console, the seminal shooter coined the term "Halo killer" for its industry-changing gameplay and narrative. It single-handedly sold millions of Xbox consoles and kicked off a billion-dollar franchise by 2009.

But Bungie wasn’t wholly independent at this point…

Microsoft Acquires Bungie and Halo Rights

Eager to capitalize on Halo‘s early buzz, Microsoft purchased Bungie in 2000 during Combat Evolved‘s development for an undisclosed sum. This gave the tech giant full ownership of Bungie and rights to the Halo intellectual property (IP) – including sequel, licensing, and merchandising rights.

Over the next several years, Bungie worked closely with Microsoft to expand the Halo games into a flagship Xbox franchise, even as tensions reportedly simmered behind the scenes over creative limitations. With Halo’s legendary status cemented after the record-smashing Halo 3 in 2007, Bungie surprised the industry by spinning back out of Microsoft as an independent studio. But there was a catch…

Bungie Gains Independence, But Microsoft Keeps Halo

Likely to Microsoft’s relief, the Halo IP remained with the Xbox maker when Bungie separated in 2007. This was almost inevitable given the franchise‘s system-selling importance. Still, rumors abounded about backdoor deals for a potential Bungie buyback.

Yet as Bungie struck out to work on new original ideas that became the successful Destiny franchise, Microsoft handed Halo duties to its newly formed 343 Industries studio. Over the next decade, 343 released a steady stream of Halo prequels, sequels, and spinoffs – with mixed critical reception.

Critics debated whether the series had lost its way without Bungie’s guiding creative vision. But how much was Bungie hurt financially by giving up the rights?

Estimating Lost Revenue for Bungie

Without access to private company finances, I can only speculate what Halo franchise revenues Bungie might have seen post-2007. We know Halo has earned over $5 billion lifetime, and Halo developer 343 IndustriesFetch requested once pegged its value at over $10 billion.

A quick calculation shows over 292 million Halo games sold between 2001 and 2022. If Bungie hypothetically earned just $5 in royalties per game, that‘s $1.46 billion in lost licensing revenues alone as conservative estimate. Of course, as owner Bungie would likely have seen a far larger share.

In comparison, Bungie’s Destiny franchise has seen lower sales figures since 2014 – estimated 25 million lifetime units including free downloads as of 2021.

Clearly Bungie has built sustainable success with Destiny and other projects. But undoubtedly Halo’s rights could have represented massive earning potential well beyond their 2007 split.

Does Bungie Want Back Into Halo?

Bungie is one of the largest independent studios so rumors swirl on its future plans, especially given small hints from leadership about manifesting ambitious dreams. After Sony‘s announced acquisition of Bungie for $3.6 billion in January 2022, speculation went wild that a PlayStation takeover of Halo might be brewing.

However, those rumors seem unfounded currently as Microsoft remains firmly in control of Master Chief. Beyond possibly wanting a piece of that sweet franchise revenue again, some Bungie staffers have expressed interest in returning to Halo one day. But with 343 Industries still steering the Hitachi Zosen ship after Microsoft’s recent merger with Activision Blizzard, that doesn’t seem likely.

Of course, never say never in this industry! As we‘ve seen, one multi-billion deal can change everything. For now though, Halo remains in Microsoft’s house and Bungie is fully focused on evolving Destiny well into the future.

I hope this analysis on the complex saga answers the question of "how much money did Bungie sell Halo for?" Let me know your take! Do you think Bungie regrets leaving Halo behind? Should they try getting back into the game? What new secrets might this studio still have up its sleeves? The conversation continues…