News Bungie getting divorced from Microsoft?

http://www.bit-tech.net/news/2007/10/03/bungie_getting_divorced_from_microsoft_/1

The big rumour at the moment is that Bungie, fed up with all this 'Master Chief nonsense', wants to seperate from Microsoft and make some new games.

 

If this is true, maybe they can go back to some of their old IP and make new games. Oni was pretty original and very fun.

 

Yeah I'm sure bungie are fed up making millions.

 

I remember Bungie says MS were great because they let them do their own thing, at the time I was thinking MS probably told them to say that and it appears that is true XD

 

I'm still very doubtful that this is true - they have the staff and lots of money now to do other projects and I'm sure they are doing just that with MS support

 

but with the income generated from this deal they could invest into other great projects to create some new games sounds good to me

 

if this is remotely true....(most likely started be a sony fanboy/employee......as he just could take a the beating), I doing thing that the Halo FPS trilogy is done and its fine to build on the universer with halo wars and stuff, but its time for some more orignial IP.

 

erm if its Bungie having to raise the large amountsof cash to buy itself back from Microsoft, what income will be generated by Bungie from this deal to invest in new games?

 

mmmm.... as long as they make some good games, i dont see this as a problem.

 

Perhaps this means we'll finally see the release of "Pimps at Sea!", or maybe an ONI sequel... Or even something to do with the Marathon series...

 

I think it's untrue. Halo is too big, MS funnelled too much money into Bungie to make Halo, and Bungie is crazy to not want the big bucks coming from Microsoft's cophers. They are in, and they are in deep. Microsoft won't let them out, Bungie is too valuable of a developer for Microsoft to cash in. If Bungie does leave, Microsoft won't let them take Halo that is for sure.

 

MS did just let Activision pick up Bizarre rather than bring them in house, is this any less odd?

 

It doesn't make sense them buying themselves back... Microsoft wouldn't let that happen. It would make more sense in this situation to expand Bungie so that Halo (or whatever Microsoft wanted them to do) could be worked on in one department and then another half of the company could do whatever else they want. The Halo 3 cheque would surely make this an easy expansion. I can't see Microsoft minding them doing something like that either.

 

If this is true I can't see Microsoft letting them go willingly. Okay they might have more money than anyone else in the whole world put together but the still can't buy the kind of publicity that the launch of Halo 3 brought them last week. Plus, companies with lots of money will always want more money, even if its just to keep score and pummel the opposition into the dirt.
I suppose Bungie might feel they are in a gilded cage, they can do what they like as long as its within the boundries set by their keeper but they are never really free. Good luck to them if they do manage it but it will be an interesting journey.

 

What can MS do ?

If most of the bungie staff quit and reform a new company, MS can do naff all, and they will be left with a team of idiots who don't know what their doing ... (hmm left with?)
Plus its a lot cheaper that way, but technically MS could deny them access to the 360 ... in which case PS3, wii and PC owners benefit, w00t

 

I don't think this is looking very reliable myself. Maybe Bungie do want to move on from halo, and are having trouble negotiating with Microsoft to Create a new IP. I know if I were microsoft I'd want to make sure the Halo profits arc had peaked. Halo 3 is the biggest yet, and it shows no signs of getting smaller, so I'd say the tension is that MS want more Halo, while Bungie want to move on since to them its finished and they don't want to dilute the series.

 

As much as I'd love to see a new Oni game, it wouldn't happen. Bungie sold the Oni IP when Microsoft bought them up. I'm not even sure they still own Myth. Marathon is now public domain, but I doubt Bungie wants to do another FPS right now.

They do have a new project in the works, but they've been very tight lipped about it.

Of course, even if MS did hold the keys to Halo, that wont stop Bungie from continuing development in that universe. There's still a need for a connective story between Halo and Marathon.