343 Industries announces Halo PC ports plan

Microsoft subsidiary 343 Industries has confirmed it is bringing Halo to the PC, planning a staggered launch that will see almost all the Halo games brought to the Windows platform on both the Microsoft Store and Valve's rival Steam distribution platform.

Originally developed by Bungie as an Apple Mac OS exclusive and spiritual follow-up to Marathon, Halo was snapped up by Microsoft as the perfect title to sell its at-the-time shiny new Xbox console. While the first two games in the franchise, the first rebranded as Halo: Combat Evolved and the less imaginatively-named Halo 2, saw Windows ports after a period of Xbox exclusivity, the remaining - Halo 3, Halo 3: ODST, Halo: Reach, Halo 4, and Halo 5: Guardians - have not.

That's to change, however, with 343 Industries confirming a plan to release all the existing Halo games on Windows, including re-releases of Halo: Combat Evolved and Halo 2. These, the company has announced, will be based on the remastered versions built for the Master Chief Collection bundle - but, oddly, will be released in a staggered pattern.

The first game to launch won't be the first chronologically, either: 343 Industries is to start with Halo: Reach, then follow with the remaining games in launch order. All games will be available to purchase individually, with a Master Chief Collection style bundle expected once Halo 4 has completed the launch roster. Halo 5: Guardians, the latest game in the series, has not been discussed as being included in the plan, and neither has the real-time strategy offshoot Halo Wars.

Neither Microsoft nor 343 Industries has offered a release date, though the roll-out is expected to begin later this year.