Bungie signs exclusive 10-year Activision deal on “next big action game universe” [Update]

Ok. Multiplatform then?

Makes sense seeing how well IW were treated by Kotick et al

Wow.

if you can’t wait
http://www.allgamesbeta.info/2010/04/bungie-and-activision-announce.html

Ah, just read it and it seems they’ve joined under the same terms that Respawn have negotiated with EA. Seperate company, Activision are simply exclusive publisher, all IP rights belong to Bungie…

Holy shit!

Bungie doing CoD now, then?

good grief. Well, if they own the ip, then thats alright!

MEGATON – espeically when you consider that Bungie (along with Blizzard and *maybe* Valve) are one of the very few developers with mainstream consumer brand recognition.

@8
Ya. Interesting if they do get MW as it seem to be the antithesis of the Bungie approach to game design. I predict pain.

Ten years is a looooooong time.

@ 11: It’s only three games – four at the most.

Good move for Bungie.

I’m just worried I’ll never get to play Halo 4.

It seems to be a deal linked to one IP only so they could still do other work with other publishers, I guess.

@ 13: 343 Industries is making the next Master Chief game, probably going to be Halo 4.

Well. That’s exciting.

@12 – taken a look at Neversoft’s output recently? 10 years is about 15-20 games in Activision world

so when will bungie split up and create a new studio then?

Shit just hit the fan! This is getting fucking crazy man. What’s next Ken and Phil return to Sony to unveil the PS4?

I can’t take this stuff anymore. Day after day alliances are being shifted.

E3′s going to be insane.

*facepalm*

@15 So who’s going to publish it?

Correct me if I’m wrong (and I could be very, very wrong) but….

I thought IW never ever owned the rights to CoD?

And MW wouldn’t have been so big if it wasn’t for the mammoth marketing budget/

@21 Microsoft Game Studios?

WTF

@9 No ! There is no place for Bungie along side with Blizzard and Valve in terms of brand recognition. USA is the only country where it have a recognition. No.Fucking.Way.
Blizzard is popular not only in US, but in EU, Korea and e.t.c. Valve – same except of Korea.

@13 Relax, Microsoft made 1st party called 343 industries and they are going to make next Halo games and Microsoft is going to publish it.

Thats a Megaton news. Activision is printing money and going in to the right direction. I’m not interested in their new IP, but thats a huge news anyway.
Soon we are going to see Activision console

@23 but I thought 343 Industries was a Bungie subsidiary.

I can only assume it’s a) shit, since Microsoft had first refusal on it, and b) Activision paid a shit-ton of money for it.

@25

Why aren’t u interested in their new IP? You don’t even know what it is yet.

@26, 343 was set up by Microsoft to take over the Halo stuff now Bungie are handing it over.

Well Bungie said they might return to do another Halo in 10 years, so looks like that could actually be the case! They’re a smart bunch and i don’t expect them to let Activision run rule over them! Bring on the new Marathon game! If their first game with Acti is multiformat i doubt we’ll see it for a couple years at least especially as they don’t have experience using PS3 Dev kits

@28 After 4 dissapointments i don’t see them doing something awesome.

But i remember Oni game, it was cool. I’m not interested for now, maybe when they will announce new IP i will be interested. Who knows.
But for now, i don’t give a shit.

@29 I’m confused. So the same devs that worked on Halo 1,2+3 won’t be working on Halo 4?

Or has Bungie moved the Halo hardcore over to 343 and employed a bunch of new devs to work on new stuff?

Holy fucking shit! Ten years?

Acti ‘lose’ IW and gain Bungie.

I’d take that trade

How long til Bungie get pissed of with Acti?

We’ve got a Bungie interview later today.

@32 Same developers WON’T work on future Halo titles. 343 Industries is the 1st party company that was made by Microsoft and it will work on the NEXT GENERATION Halo franchises.

Following the release of Halo 3, Bungie announced it was splitting off from Microsoft and becoming an independent limited liability company. While Bungie remains involved in the Halo series by developing games such as ODST and Reach, the rights to Halo remain with Microsoft. To oversee everything Halo, Microsoft created an internal division, 343 Industries, serving as “stewards” for the franchise. Frank O’Connor, formerly a Bungie employee, now serves as 343′s creative director. (c) Wikipedia

So if you have any questions…

Weren’t 343 a bunch of ex-Bungie community staff along with some Halo fanboi developers?

PAt:

I think my question is clear.

@Pat – are they planning to start totally new IPs or will they kick-off by revisiting things like Marathon/Myth?

Also, are they in complete control of their destiny here? Do they get so drop the contract if Acti start applying too much pressure?

@37

Yes please Pat…

“Why did you decide to move to multiformat development after spending so many years as a 1st party developer?”

Or similar…

@pat ask them if they’ve ever done a bungie jump

Here is my question and its Why Activision? and have they not heard of the Infinity Ward saga.

@ 25: Erthazus – my parents have heard of Bungie and Blizzard because Halo and WoW make it into the mainstream press. I was being generous by mentioning Valve – I don’t think your average man on the street has heard of them. Thinking about it, Blizzard, Bungie and Rockstar would probably be the only third-party developers with mainstream consumer brand recognition, for WoW, Halo and GTA respectively. People love CoD, but nobody’s heard of Infinity Ward or Treyarch as it’s Activision’s policy to play up the publisher’s brand and downplay the developer’s. Not that this policy will affect Bungie, due to the nature of their deal.

Bear in mind, mainstream consumer recognition does not denote quality. Btw, Bungie is very well recognised in the UK too. If Valve is well known by Mums and Dads wherever you’re from, good for them. As far as I’m aware, the US and the UK alone usually make for about two thirds of any Western videogame’s lifetime sales, with only the odd exception (like StarCraft in Korea).

@ 29: This is correct. 343 are an MGS studio set up to handle the Halo universe. They’re currently working on Master Chief’s next adventure, apparently.

@ 18: Bungie have *already* split – founder Alex Seropian and several other Bungie old guard from their Mac days left after Halo:CE was published on PC and formed Wideload Games, now owned by Disney Interactive.

@ 30: YES! OMG that would be so cool – they wouldn’t even have to make a new game, just re-imagining the first Marathon for modern consoles would be awesome!

@pat motion controls? ask them there take on the waggle? have they experimented with the waggle? are they getting involved with the waggle? is the future of video games all about the waggle?

All good. I’ll get as many in as I can.

“What’s better? PlayStations or Xboxes?”

Ask them if they can at least rule out that it’s Marathon – the anticipation will kill me otherwise.

“Do you hate your fans?”

“How many of the PS3′s Cells are you planning on using?”

“How does it feel taking Kotick’s money?”

Does Microsoft have first refusal on their new IP/Game?

I have seen people say they do but i’ve also seen people say they don’t i’d like to know as surely MS will just take whatever Bungie are making