Microsoft Corp. today announced a plan for Bungie Studios, the developers of the Halo franchise, to embark on a path to become an independent company. Microsoft will retain an equity interest in Bungie, at the same time continuing its long-standing publishing agreement between Microsoft Game Studios and Bungie for the Microsoft-owned ‘Halo’ intellectual property as well as other future properties developed by Bungie.
“Our collaboration with Bungie has resulted in ‘Halo’ becoming an enduring mainstream hit,” said Shane Kim, corporate vice president of Microsoft Game Studios, in the press release. “While we are supporting Bungie’s desire to return to its independent roots, we will continue to invest in our ‘Halo’ entertainment property with Bungie and other partners, such as Peter Jackson, on a new interactive series set in the ‘Halo’ universe. We look forward to great success with Bungie as our long-term relationship continues to evolve through ‘Halo’-related titles and new IP created by Bungie.”
“This exciting evolution of our relationship with Microsoft will enable us to expand both creatively and organizationally in our mission to create world-class games,” said Harold Ryan, studio head for Bungie, in the press release. “We will continue to develop with our primary focus on Microsoft platforms; we greatly value our mutually prosperous relationship with our publisher, Microsoft Game Studios; and we look forward to continuing that affiliation through ‘Halo’ and beyond.”
Bungie Studios will remain in its current location in Kirkland, Wash.
Source: The depths of Hell.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “RadDoc” for the heads up.]
MacDailyNews Take: Bungie: still a bunch of sellouts and now Halo-less to boot.
They would have made millions more with a multi-platform rollout of Halo
Why on earth you will let go your most productive partner? I think that this is a new Profit Strategy from Microsoft to stop bleeding money, they are freeing Bungie to port Halo to other platforms without hurt the Xbox, imagine when somebody compare the PS3 version with the Xbox and finds that the PS3 version is better, it would hurt Microsoft if bungie were part of them, but freeing it, they won’t suffur when the obligated compaisons start to flow for the next version of Halo…..
Maybe Apple wakes up and make some RPG games for its userbase.
whataboutmac.com
Ah hell, do I have to put Peter Jackson on the boat, too?
exactly, i dont see whats beneficial at all about this for Bungie…
All that really came of this according to the text is that they are going to still make Halo for MS and even their new IP’s are MS, and if they wanna make a new game for a new platform, well find your own time and money….
umm pointless searching for continued PR?
Personally, if it frees Bungie to release an OSX, updated version of Marathon, I would be delighted. I have one OS9 machine at home and it’s because I want to continue playing Marathon. It’s a great trilogy of adventures.
Mk
MDN, bitter much?
MDN – that wasn’t fair. Bungie is enormously innovative and creative. I’ve been a fan since the first Marathon game for Mac. I don’t hold a grudge because they got bought by MSFT.
I look forward to the next games they develop for the fairer platform.
Sony fanboys all to eager to celebrate should keep watching movies on their PS3. I don’t see the Halo series going multiplatform anytime soon.
-L
mark Masztal: Personally, if it frees Bungie to release an OSX, updated version of Marathon, I would be delighted. I have one OS9 machine at home and it’s because I want to continue playing Marathon. It’s a great trilogy of adventures.
Bungie has released Marathon code to open source community. The game is now called Aleph One and supports Marathon 2 and Marathon Infinity data files. Marathon 1 is also released as M1A1. The games are available for linux, Mac OS X, Mac OS Classic and Windows.
I agree with jr.
I hope that Bungie will make all its future games multi-platform so that owners of game boxes, Macs and PC users can enjoy their games.
I, like many others would like to see Halo 2 and Halo 3 released for the Mac.
I don’t want to buy a game box, giving Microsoft more of my money.
True enough Halo 2 can be played on one of the new iMacs running Vista, but I don’t want that crap on my machine.
The Halo soundtracks are awesome!
Good luck Bungie!
@ TL5
I have a PS3 and love it. I’ve no desire to play Halo – not my cup of tea, really, however I am waiting with anticipation for this one:
http://www.us.playstation.com/Uncharted/
and Unreal Tournament 3, which is shipping for the PS3 a full year before the Xbox. Link: http://www.gamesindustry.biz/content_page.php?aid=28550
Hmm, now the Xbox lost the exclusivity of the best game developer. Watch MS scramble to buy another sellout game developer before their next Xbox become has relevant as their Zune.
World, rejoice!
I have this suspicion that Bungie has an incredible new game or two up their sleeves that they don’t want to share with Microsoft, so they’ve been campaigning for their freedom so that they could develop and release them without M$’s dirty claws in the mix. It would enable cross-platform releases, too, which M$ would never allow them to do. Go, Bungie!
I think the biggest reason for the split is that the Halo money making machine is over. Bungie is a 1-title-at-a-time company, and has probably seen the most success they ever will. I doubt Microsoft want to spend another 2 years waiting for the next title that probably won’t make as much money.
As for being sellouts, I don’t think that’s fair. The were offered a lot of money, and they took it. Who wouldn’t? Also, I don’t think Halo would have ever been as sucessful without the xBox. Sure, people would have played the game, but the xBox made it easy for a bunch of people to get together and battle it out. That is way more fun than sitting by yourself and playing a bunch of kids online. xBox parties playing Halo are just plain fun. That’s what I remember about the game; it brought people together.
>MacDailyNews Take: Bungie: still a bunch of sellouts…
Dear Kettle,
You’re black.
Love,
Pot
@ NeverFade
Last I read Unreal Tournament 3 was delayed, so 360 & PS3 may end up shipping together.
I’m still looking into buying a PS3 when and if they come out with some worthy exclusives.
-L
Good. Now maybe they can get back to working on a much better game, IMHO… Oni!
I don’t see the benefit for Bungie to remove itself from Microsoft anymore. Especially if they are still under the gun at Microsoft so to speak. They can’t do anything independent and therefore are useless. What’s worse is now they’ve lost all control of Halo which makes them worthless. They should have never agreed to be bought buy Microsoft in the first place and they would have done a lot better for themselves. Oh well….
BUNGIE – WE HATE YOU! GO TO HELL! YOU GUYS SOLD OUT TO THE DEVIL AND FU***ED OVER ALL YOUR LOYAL MAC USERS. WE HOPE YOUR NEW VENTURE MISERABLY FAILS. YOU GUCK.
SIGNED,
ALL MAC USERS ON THE PLANET
“I hope that Bungie will make all its future games multi-platform so that owners of game boxes, Macs and PC users can enjoy their games.”
“I, like many others would like to see Halo 2 and Halo 3 released for the Mac.”
Reclaimer, part of this separation deal is that Microsoft has all rights to Halo. So a Mac version of anything from Bungie as far as Halo goes is probably out of the question. Also says PC games in there story and no mention of them returning to the Mac platform at all. I’m sure they lost all of there Mac programmers when Microsoft bought them out.
I agree with MacBill but less harshly.
However, I do wish all the talented people at Bungie the best and I hope that they junk all their piece of crap Windows machines and buy new 8-core Mac Pros.
I still play Halo Combat Evolved almost everyday.
With Bungie out of the picture and Microsoft in charge <sarcasm>Halo 4 will be the best game ever!</sarcasm>
Anyone heard the one about rats leaving a sinking ship? Might be a new game from Bungie
Bring back Myth please. 10 years later and I still like playing it. Myth III was not done by Bungie and it sucked, but Myth and Myth II are still a great games. I hope Bungie will revisit the RTS genre.
Hey go to <http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/microsoft-bosses-again-show-they/story.aspx?guid={861065D6-3BAE-4F5C-BF1C-C4B7BDE76899}&siteid=yhoof> to see what Market Watch has to say about M$.
If I recall the original intention when MS purchased Bungie was them to continue development of Marathon for both Mac and Windows. I suspect that it wasn’t until after the ink on the contracts was dry that MS sprung the surprise of exclusive XBox development on the Bungie group. I will be interested to see what their intentions are now that they are liberated.
I can’t believe some people are bashing Bungie for selling out to Microsoft YEARS ago. Do you still bash Apple for using Intel instead of PowerPC processors? Do you still complain that Apple accepted $150 million from Microsoft for non-voting shares years ago? Give it a rest!
IF Bungie produces a great game for Macs in the future, buy the Mac version, support their hard labour and welcome them to make more great games for the platform. Unlike Valve who complain about the lack of ‘support’ from Apple while games like WoW have SIMULTANEOUS releases across platforms.
Without MS and the XBOX and 360, the HALO series would have never reached the audience that it did, and through XBOX LIVE, had the lasting replay value that no computer game would have.
This is why so many of us previous PC and Mac gamers have moved to the 360 platform. It is just way more fun to play with your friends so easily online, and sitting in my LaZyboy recliner with my feet up, in front of my big screen HDTV sure beats gaming at my workstation!
anyone who is a gamer and not multiconsole, is not really a gamer.
Yeah, MDN. I think you’re harshing on Bungie…
The story that I heard is that Bungie basically considers Halo to be over. Been there, done that, let’s move on to something new. Meanwhile, Microsoft wants Halo 4, Halo 5, Halo Expansion Pack, Halo Racing, Halo Beach Volleyball, etc. In other words, the “Let’s flog this thing into the ground” approach.
Halo is basically the only successful game put out by “Microsoft Game Studio” and I’m sure that everybody at Microsoft is jumping on the bandwagon and deciding that they know more than the Bungie folks about how to make a great game. So Bungie is saying, “Hey, fine. Take Halo and flog it. We’ll go do other cool stuff.”
For a fun analogy, consider Pixar, Disney, and “Toy Story.” Disney wanted to do sequel after sequel after sequel of “Toy Story”
“anyone who is a gamer and not multiconsole, is not really a gamer.”
Not sure if this was directed at me, but I would say that anyone calling themselves a gamer, yet ignores the vast amount of top notch online enabled gaming available on the 360 is not really a gamer.
This generation I felt no need to own more than one console.
The PS3 is an overpriced joke with no must have games, no rumble on the controller and a very weak imitation of XBOX LIVE.
The Wii is just a glorified GameCube, which I already own and the handful of Nintendo made games that have been released are just too damned casual gamer oriented for my tastes.
MDN, don’t be to down on Bungie. Yeah, we hated the buyout but at least things are turning in a better direction now.
:rolleyes, I respectfully disagree. I love to play games on my 24″ iMac.
It’s got plenty punch to play the games I love and I can go right to gaming after I finishing working on whatever.
I do believe that a multi-platform release is the way to go; I just don’t want to spend money on a game box when I have a good computer that I’ll keep for 5 years or so.
Most people I know only keep their gaming boxes about 2 years.
And I thought you could never get out of hell?
I just finished Bioshock on XBox. No one is interested in Halo anymore.
Dvorak was wrong again. From yesterday’s article:
http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/interference-microsoft-drive-away-its/story.aspx?guid={7E0A2E41-D7E5-4BED-959C-2C0818CEEFDC}
“Metcalf says he has an insider in Bungie who tells of being sick of working with Microsoft for various reasons, not the least of which is meddling by the parent. The company wants to go independent, according to this insider.
This would be like the Microsoft Office folks leaving the company. It’s not going to happen. They are part of Microsoft unless there was a crazy buy-back clause, which seems unlikely.”
Once we take over the world with Macs, I believe Bungie will come around. Of course, it would help if Apple would make a decent gaming rig. Maybe someday.
MDN, you’re not a gaming site, you don’t follow the gaming industry. Get over the buyout. So what if the Halo IP is still exclusive to the GFW and Xbox platforms? They’re great games, so go get a 360 or Windows box to play them. With this minor separation, Bungie’s now free to make their own decisions on where their future IP’s are released. Get over the buyout MDN, all this means is that now you might not have to buy a Microsoft platform to play future Bungie Games.
Come on, stop blaming Bungie. They make great games, and they made great Mac games… until a big dumptruck full of cash came rumbling into Kirkland from Redmond. I personally hope that Bungie does pick themselves up, dust off and start firing out some great games on the Mac platform, and PS3, hell even the WII.
It pretty easy to sit there and say they are sellouts. But come on MDN, if Redmond offered you a couple of hundred million to change to ZuneDailyNews you have to admit you’d at least be tempted.
http://fakesteveballmer.blogspot.com
BUNGIE CORD CUT!
I have to tell ya, those Bungie guys do some really good work. If it weren’t for them there would be no xBox, we needed a killer app, they had one, we bought ’em, period!
Their contract was for 3 Halos, they delivered. Halo 3 in the first week has brought in $300,000,000! This one release will finally put xBox over the top! We will actually make money for the entire division. Bungie has served it’s purpose, now we say hasta la Vista baby!
So you ask, “why didn’t you just resign these guys?”
I can put it in just one word: “ATTITUDE!”
You see money isn’t everything (yes I said that).
The problem with these people was that at heart they were still a bunch of die-hard, sanctimonious, peta-eating, holier-than-thou, proud, elitist, you-are-lucky-to-have-me-here, overpaid, always late for company meetings, self-righteous, superior minded, perfectionist, Microsoft hating, backstabbing, two faced, Vista sneering, over indulged Macintosh loving, Jobs worshiping, iTards!
So I say, “thanks fo’ da money honey, but hit the bricks now!”
They actually think that they can be successful without us. lol
They will come crawling back on their bellies within a year or two, humbled, right attitudes, compliant, willing to use active x!
(That’s why I’m CEO, I can see the BIG picture)
In the interim I am forming a team of real MS employees to replace these hacks, we will be taking MS gaming back to it’s roots! Look for GeekWad 2008!
Bungie is now but a mere shell of what it used to be. Its creative Macintosh developers have left for greener pastures years ago. Because of that, Bungie will only be writing for other game console platforms and not the Mac.
I too would like to see Halo 2 and Halo 3 released for the Mac but know that is not likely to happen – remember we’re talking about Microsoft here. According to the story, Microsoft will retain all interest in Halo and they will not allow it to be used on anything other than something from Microsoft (XBox & Vista). This includes the game engine.
“sellouts”??
wow, MDN, you forget to take your meds?
what is wrong with you people?
I really respect the folks at Bungie and wish them all the best…
As for being sellouts, I don’t think that’s fair. The were offered a lot of money, and they took it. As that is the definition of a sellout MDN’s take was very fair.
Who wouldn’t?
a) someone with principles
b) someone who did their homework and found that partnering with Microsoft is guaranteed death, slow or not so slow.
c) someone who realized that there is more to life than money – like artists who do it for the art (and the artistic reward) not the financial reward.
@Gandalf
I would say your points were valid if after the Microsoft acquisition we had seen a sharp decrease in Innovation and Creativity at Bungie. The only thing is that the 3 games that they released under the MGS (Microsoft Game Studios) Publisher were 3 excellent games that went on to redefine the FPS Genre.
Otherwise…Nice try Gandalf.