But, the team was never one to rest on its laurels – the focus immediately turned to “How do we top this?” As we witnessed Halo: Combat Evolved multiplayer really take off and spawn a vibrant LAN scene, there was a real desire to double down and make multiplayer something special. I remember a sense of pride and excitement as the original game landed and resonated greater than anyone could’ve anticipated. Xbox was off and running, and Halo was taking the world by storm.

With the seminal console shooter now on Steam in the form of Halo 2: Anniversary, we spoke with Brian Jarrard, who worked at Bungie during the development of Halo 2, and now works as community director at current Halo developer 343 Industries, to learn what it was like to be on the frontlines for the launch of such an important title in gaming history.Ĭoming off of Halo: Combat Evolved, what was the feeling at Bungie surrounding Halo 2 during development? What was the general sentiment of what the team needed to do?īrian Jarrard: I joined Bungie following the launch of Halo: Combat Evolved at a time when there were less than 30 or so employees occupying an office park on the outskirts of Redmond, Washington.

Halo 2 release date