Sexy Rumor; Bungie leaving MS.

[drohne]

i love the headline

MICROSOFT AND BUNGIE: RELATIONSHIP EVOLVED

now we wait for someone to tell us what's really going on here. thankfully halo is big enough that the mainstream press will cover this -- i'm sure our enthusiast press is already hard at work on chatty news postings full of neogaf quotations

[The Fake Shemp]

I think going by the initial rumor and the press release, it's pretty obvious what's going on here.  Microsoft wants to make Halo Kart and Halo Party and Halo 4: The Haloening and more Halo games forever!  Bungie, so desperate to move on to something else, and finally big enough to tackle multiple creative projects at once, bought themselves out so they could do so.  In the process, they give up the golden egg to Microsoft and the software juggernaut also has first right of refusal for an undisclosed period of time.

After that, they will flee to PlayStation 3!

[Phoenix Dark]

I think going by the initial rumor and the press release, it's pretty obvious what's going on here.  Microsoft wants to make Halo Kart and Halo Party and Halo 4: The Haloening and more Halo games forever!  Bungie, so desperate to move on to something else, and finally big enough to tackle multiple creative projects at once, bought themselves out so they could do so.  In the process, they give up the golden egg to Microsoft and the software juggernaut also has first right of refusal for an undisclosed period of time.

After that, they will flee to PlayStation 3!

 

PS3 already is getting Rockstar's new IP. Bungie exclusive, 2010?

[hyp]

here's an exclusive interview by kotaku:

http://kotaku.com/gaming/feature/bungie-owns-bungie-the-qa-307656.php

Kotaku:  Looking from the outside this move looks like something that purely benefits Bungie, how were you able to convince Microsoft to "unleash" the studio?

Brian Jarrard: To be honest, this new relationship is mutually beneficial to both Microsoft and Bungie. On one hand, we get to return to our roots and explore some creative freedoms and possibilities that we may not have otherwise been able to. Meanwhile we continue to have the support of the best publisher in the industry on some really exciting projects like our Halo collaboration with Peter Jackson. On the Microsoft side, they get the benefit of an energized and inspired Bungie team, committed to making great games for their platforms, and a continuation of our strong partnership together. It's a win-win situation.

Kotaku:  What motivated this move on Bungie's part? When did the studio first suggest the independence idea to Microsoft and what was their reaction?

Brian Jarrard: This is really just the next step in the evolution of our studio and our relationship with Microsoft. Bungie has always been fiercely independent at heart and being in control of our own destiny, and the creative freedoms that come with that, is the core of what this studio was founded on some 15 years ago. These discussions began with Microsoft some time ago as a means of maintaining a mutually beneficial long term relationship.

[bud]

q&a with frankie

http://multiplayerblog.mtv.com/2007/10/05/bungie-talks-about-jumping-from-microsoft-we-are-not-playing-with-any-new-devkits/

MTV Multiplayer: The official statement informs gamers that Bungie will “primarily” focus on Microsoft platforms. What other platforms is Bungie considering? If you can’t say, can you at least eliminate any? For instance, would we see Bungie on handhelds or not?

Frank O’Connor: Right now, none. It’s all 360 – from the downloadable “Halo 3? content to the Peter Jackson “Halo” project. Those are the big items on our docket at the moment. I can tell you confidently we are not playing with any new devkits.

MTV Multiplayer: How soon can gamers expect to see Bungie’s first independent project? Can we assume it will be an FPS?

Frank O’Connor: Our first independent project as a developer will be DLC published by our partner, Microsoft. So yeah, it will kind of be an FPS. As for our first original IP after “Halo 3?? We’ll keep you informed.