# Harold Ryan

> Harold Ryan rose from entry-level game testing at Microsoft to leadership at Bungie, where he helped guide the studio through Halo, independence from Microsoft, and Destiny. He founded ProbablyMonsters in 2016 around a promise of more stable, respectful careers for game developers. After layoffs, canceled projects, and a tighter publishing market tested that thesis, Ryan shifted the company from a collection of AAA studios toward smaller teams and more focused releases, including Storm Lancers and Ire: A Prologue.

- **Role:** CEO and Founder at ProbablyMonsters
- **Organizations:** ProbablyMonsters, Bungie, Microsoft, Ensemble Studios, FASA Studios
- **Education:** Studies in electrical engineering, physics, and mathematics, Washington State University
- **Known for:** Held senior leadership roles at Bungie during the Halo and Destiny eras., Helped lead Bungie through its transition from Microsoft ownership to independence., Founded ProbablyMonsters in 2016.

## Career timeline

- **1996** — Worked as a Microsoft game tester on Hellbender, after earlier engineering and consulting work.
- **2000** — Joined Bungie, beginning a 16-year tenure that included work across Halo and Destiny.
- **2007** — Became Bungie studio manager during the Halo 3 era.
- **2010** — Became Bungie president.
- **2013** — Became Bungie CEO.
- **2016** — Left Bungie and founded ProbablyMonsters later that year.
- **2019** — Brought ProbablyMonsters out of stealth and announced an $18.8 million Series A round and a multi-studio model.
- **2021** — ProbablyMonsters announced a $200 million Series A investment.
- **2023** — Sony Interactive Entertainment acquired Firewalk Studios from ProbablyMonsters; ProbablyMonsters also reduced central-services roles later that year.
- **2024-2025** — ProbablyMonsters canceled or paused projects, closed several internal studio units, reduced staff, and shifted toward smaller integrated teams.
- **2025** — ProbablyMonsters revealed and released its first games, Storm Lancers and Ire: A Prologue.
- **2026** — ProbablyMonsters scheduled Crimson Moon for September 2026 and Nekome: Nazi Hunter for early 2027.

## Achievements

- Held senior leadership roles at Bungie during the Halo and Destiny eras.
- Helped lead Bungie through its transition from Microsoft ownership to independence.
- Founded ProbablyMonsters in 2016.
- Raised an announced $200 million Series A investment for ProbablyMonsters in 2021.
- ProbablyMonsters states that franchises associated with Ryan's career generated more than $5 billion in revenue.
- Brought ProbablyMonsters' first two releases to market in 2025.

## Latest updates

- **2026-06** — ProbablyMonsters set a September 2026 release window for Crimson Moon and an early 2027 window for Nekome: Nazi Hunter.
- **2025-08** — ProbablyMonsters unveiled Storm Lancers and Ire: A Prologue as its first public releases and described a more focused, flexible development model.
- **2025-09** — ProbablyMonsters released Storm Lancers for Nintendo Switch.
- **2025-10** — ProbablyMonsters released Ire: A Prologue for PC.
- **2025-12** — Storm Lancers launched for PC and Nintendo Switch 2.

## Links

- Website: https://www.probablymonsters.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/haroldryan

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/harold-ryan
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-08-27