Xbox Game Studios

Xbox Game Studios (formerly known as Microsoft Studios, Microsoft Game Studios, and Microsoft Games) is the video game development and publishing division of Microsoft. As of 2019, it consists of 15 subsidiary studios. They own the rights to several prominent Intellectual Properties, including the Halo franchise.

Microsoft founded Xbox Games in 2000 for the release of the first Xbox-exclusive games. It was rebranded Microsoft Game Studios in 2001 due to the rise of PC gaming, it was used from 2001 to 2011. It was later rebranded Microsoft Studios in 2011, it was used from 2011 to 2019. The former was renamed Xbox Game Studios in 2019. It is in use from 2019 to present. Microsoft Studios was the studio that created 343 Industries, the current Halo series developer. 343 have developed Halo 4, Halo: Spartan Strike, Halo: Spartan Assault, Halo 5: Guardians and Halo Infinite. They developed one game in Halo: The Master Chief Collection

Xbox Game Studios also have the credit of being the publisher of all new Halo games from now on. They also are now the publisher of Halo: The Master Chief Collection, but the cover of the disc version states Microsoft Studios as the publisher as Halo: The Master Chief Collection came out before the 2019 rebranding.

Microsoft created these studios to create games for the purpose to make games to compete with PlayStation-exclusive games like Ace Combat 7. All Xbox Game Studios-created games are used with Xbox LIVE.