 Bungie ( formerly Bungie Software Products Corporation ) is a game development company started in 1991 by Alex Seropian . Seropian partnered with programmer Jason Jones to market and release Jones ' game Minotaur : The Labyrinths of Crete . Focusing on the Macintosh game market because it was smaller and easier to compete , Bungie became the biggest Mac developer with games including the shooters Pathways into Darkness and Marathon . What became Halo was originally code @-@ named Monkey Nuts and Blam ! , and took place on a hollowed @-@ out world called <unk> . The planet eventually became a ringworld , and an artist suggested the name " Halo " , which became the game 's title . 
