Halo

Halo is a multi-billion dollar  science fiction video game franchise created by  Bungie and now managed by  343 Industries and owned by  Microsoft Studios. The series centers on an interstellar war between humanity and a  theocratic alliance of aliens known as the  Covenant. The Covenant are led by their religious leaders, The Prophets, and worship an ancient civilization known as the  Forerunners, who perished in combat with the parasitic  Flood. Many of the games center on the experiences of  Master Chief John-117, a  cyberneticallyenhanced human super-soldier, and his  artificial intelligence (AI) companion,  Cortana. The term "Halo" refers to the  Halo rings: large, habitable structures that were created by the Forerunners to destroy the Flood. They are similar to the  Orbitals in  Iain M Banks'  Culture<span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;line-height:19.200000762939453px;"> novels, and author  Larry Niven<span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;line-height:19.200000762939453px;">'s  Ringworld<span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;line-height:19.200000762939453px;"> concept.