Bungie ‘hated’ Halo’s ‘Combat Evolved’ subtitle

If you were wondering “What’s the deal with the silly ‘Combat Evolved’ in Halo?”, here’s your answer — blame Microsoft.

In an interview with with Edge, Halo designer Jaime Grisemer said that Microsoft didn’t feel that the name “Halo” would hold any weight as a videogame brand. It wasn’t descriptive enough, said the publisher. Bungie drew a line in the sand, saying the name would have to stand, but there was a compromise — adding a subtitle, “Combat Evolved.”

“Everyone at Bungie hated it,” he reveals. “But it turned out to be a very sticky label and has now entered the gaming lexicon where articles that have nothing to do with Halo get titles like ‘Skateboarding Evolved.’ So I guess in hindsight it was a good compromise.”

Compromise… Evolved, even?

Microsoft forced Bungie to accept ‘Combat Evolved’ name [CVG]