Bungie

In May 1991, Alex Seropian was finishing a math degree at the University of Chicago when he started a game company from his one-bedroom apartment. He called it Bungie Software Products Corporation. After publishing a game by programmer Jason Jones, Seropian brought Jones on board. The pair focused on Macintosh titles, building a cult following with the Marathon series and the real-time strategy game Myth. An offshoot studio, Bungie West, released Oni in 2001.

Microsoft bought Bungie in 2000, renaming it Bungie Studios. The studio created Halo: Combat Evolved, which launched alongside the original Xbox in 2001 and became the console's killer app. Halo defined first-person shooters on consoles with its dual-stick controls and compelling story. Bungie left Microsoft in 2007, giving up the Halo rights. The company then built Destiny, a shared-world shooter that launched in 2014 under a partnership with Activision Blizzard. Destiny and its sequel, Destiny 2, pioneered the looter shooter genre alongside Borderlands, sustaining millions of daily players through years of expansions and seasonal content.

Sony Interactive Entertainment acquired Bungie in January 2022 for $3.6 billion. The studio operates as a subsidiary but retains autonomy to self-publish and release games on multiple platforms. In June 2026, Bungie released its final live service update for Destiny 2, titled Monument of Triumph, ending ongoing content for that game. The studio is now focused on a revival of the Marathon franchise, a decision that has drawn criticism from some observers who believe Bungie should have made Destiny 3 instead. Rumored layoffs and a fair value estimated at $1.5-2 billion (half the acquisition price) have raised questions about the company's trajectory. [edit]