RUMOR: Bungie Leaves Microsoft - Update Bungie Goes Independent...Sort Of.

[quote name='Apossum']That's what they were before. TN is a development team in Tecmo, they aren't autonomous in any way. Bungie is more like Insomniac to Sony-- 2nd party but MS exclusive.[/QUOTE]

From everything I heard, Team Ninja is just about as autonomous as an owned development team can be. They pick what platform they work on, they choose which titles they want to make and Tecmo is completely hands off.
 
[quote name='Sporadic']From everything I heard, Team Ninja is just about as autonomous as an owned development team can be. They pick what platform they work on, they choose which titles they want to make and Tecmo is completely hands off.[/QUOTE]


Not sure about all that, I'm pretty sure Tecmo would step in if they made a poor decision-- but TN doesn't really make bad decisions (DOAX2 not withstanding.) Tecmo owns them though. They're a part of Tecmo like the MS games division is part of MS.
 
[quote name='daroga']Apossum, that Aqua Man pic almost caused me to lose it in a last class on a Friday. Thank you.[/quote]


Aqua man...... :whistle2:s
 
[quote name='Silent Assassin120']Aqua man...... :whistle2:s[/quote]Green Lantern.

1) I didn't look at it closely
2) I'm a moron
3) See #2
 
[quote name='daroga']Apossum, that Aqua Man pic almost caused me to lose it in a last class on a Friday. Thank you.[/quote]Now why you have to go insulting Hal Jordan like that?
 
[quote name='ananag112']Microsoft still owns Halo.[/QUOTE]
So? We've seen Microsoft properties on the DS. MechAssault for one. Halo DS wasn't cancelled because MS didn't want to release a DS game, it was cancelled for other unknown reasons. So yes, it's possible again.
 
This means that nothing really happened that the average consumer will be affected by. Microsoft's still publishing Bungie's games, Microsoft still owns the Halo franchise, nobody left from Bungie.

Bungie just has a bit more independence to create what they want, now. It really is win-win for everyone involved. Microsoft is probably saving a bit of money by not owning them, but still publishing their games, and Bungie gets more creative freedom that they've been wanting, while taking on some more of the costs of development, I'm guessing.
 
[quote name='Damian']So? We've seen Microsoft properties on the DS. MechAssault for one. Halo DS wasn't cancelled because MS didn't want to release a DS game, it was cancelled for other unknown reasons. So yes, it's possible again.[/QUOTE]

Well its as possible as it ever was then.
 
[quote name='PyroGamer']Microsoft MADE Bungie who they are today.

I wonder why Bungie wants to sever the ties now.[/quote]I would pretty whole-heartily disagree with that. Halo was really far along in development / hype before Microsoft scooped them up and made it an Xbox-only game.

The other way around is certainly true. Bungie, through Halo, gave the Xbox name its initial life.
 
Halo DS was a one level multiplayer mod of Rogue Agent for DS done by EA to pitch the idea to microsoft. In no way, shape or form was it ever seriously considered by anyone who could make it happen. It still COULD happen but it'd be a completely different development from the ground up.
 
[quote name='daroga']I would pretty whole-heartily disagree with that. Halo was really far along in development / hype before Microsoft scooped them up and made it an Xbox-only game.

The other way around is certainly true. Bungie, through Halo, gave the Xbox name its initial life.[/QUOTE]
I've always wondered if Halo would have been as big had it not been Xbox exclusive.

My guess is that it would have been just another game that didn't really stand out.
 
[quote name='PyroGamer']Microsoft MADE Bungie who they are today.

I wonder why Bungie wants to sever the ties now.[/QUOTE]

daroga addressed the first point, but I have to say that in hindsight, we forget how gamers generally bristled at the idea of MS entering the console market. Moreover, Halo was all the Xbox had in the early days (XBOX HAS NOE GAMEZ!!!). Without Halo, MS would be in a very different spot than they are now.

Those of us who bought Marathon on release day, or have played through Pathways Into Darkness, know just how good of a developer Bungie was years before Halo.

As for why Bungie wants independence, my guess is twofold: (1) they earned their money, and (2) they don't want to be a Halo factory the rest of their lives.
 
PC Gamers were foaming at the mouth for Halo before Microsoft stepped in. Sure they wouldn't have garnered the kind of profits they are getting now without Microsoft, but they would have done just fine on their own.
 
[quote name='whoknows']I've always wondered if Halo would have been as big had it not been Xbox exclusive.

My guess is that it would have been just another game that didn't really stand out.[/quote]I dunno, the hype was pretty big for it already (I was hopeful for a PC port just reading the previews in 99). And if it had hit when it was done for the Mac it'd have made a big splash, it probably lost a little gusto with its porting over to the Xbox. The multilayer certainly wouldn't have been as popular on the PC vs. the likes of Counter Strike, UT, etc. as it was on the Xbox and eventually Live with 2.

No doubt the relationship was mutually beneficial, in that Halo got to be the secondary name for Microsoft's new machine. But if Halo flopped as a Mac / PC game, they'd have just moved on to something else. If Halo wouldn't have been on the Xbox, Microsoft would likely not be in this game anymore. Microsoft needed Bungie far more than Bungie needed Microsoft.
 
The way I foresee this:
Bungie will remain "MS Exclusive" at least on big titles for a year or two, to kind of pay respect where it's due. After all, let's face it. None of you would've cared about Halo if MS didn't make it what it is.

Then Bungie will start to headline multi-platform titles. Expect a return of Marathon series, a whole new FPS game and RTS, possibly even RPG games.

Halo DS will likely be green-lighted again, but it might not have the Halo tag.

This was the best time for Bungie to go independent. They're losing the Halo name, they might as well go independent while the Halo name is still tied to them.
 
Sounds like the Bungie braintrust was out the door unless they go the split they wanted. I guess when you deliver 300+ million you get your way.
 
[quote name='H.Cornerstone']Kind of sounds like David Jaffe's deal.[/QUOTE]

That's what I thought.

I've been reading around the internet and just been loving people's reactions:

"Lawlz. OMGAHZ. M$ is SO fukked!"

Bungie will remain Xbox exclusive at least for a couple years, if not longer. I'm sure MS is smart enough to put into contract somewhere that Bungie has to remain exclusive for X years and have an option to extend that. Even if Bungie does go multi-platform, whatever. I'll buy that console too.
 
[quote name='A Happy Panda']That's what I thought.

I've been reading around the internet and just been loving people's reactions:

"Lawlz. OMGAHZ. M$ is SO fukked!"

Bungie will remain Xbox exclusive at least for a couple years, if not longer. I'm sure MS is smart enough to put into contract somewhere that Bungie has to remain exclusive for X years and have an option to extend that. Even if Bungie does go multi-platform, whatever. I'll buy that console too.[/quote]

I think they won't release games on PS3, however, if they ever wanted to release a game on the DS or the Wii, I think they would.
 
Isn't part of the deal that Microsoft gets first refusal of any new Bungie games? Regardless, this probably means Halo DS is actually coming now maybe. Personally I'm not too worried about MS 'losing' Bungie. Oni was God-awful, Halo, while doing some interesting things with multiplayer customization, isn't the end-all-be-all of MP like most people think and what little bit of the Halo storyline I gleamed over the years seems pretty by the numbers and underwhelming. I'm interested to see what their first non-Halo game in nearly a decade is going to look like, but my expectations aren't very high to begin with.

I still think Microsoft would be better off owning a company like Epic rather than Bungie. Gears of War & UT is an awesome enough 1-2-punch but think how great it would be for MS to own the UE.
 
Halo wouldn't have been popular without the Xbox brand. Xbox was a new plane and Halo was the only thing out at the time to shine on it, plus it's common knowledge that it's just an average shooter compared to some PC titles.
 
[quote name='Punk_Raven']Halo wouldn't have been popular without the Xbox brand. Xbox was a new plane and Halo was the only thing out at the time to shine on it, plus it's common knowledge that it's just an average shooter compared to some PC titles.[/QUOTE]
You probably need to read up on Halo's history way back in 1999. It was a very much anticipated game - in a very different form - back then. Bungie's purchase by MS cause no small amount of displeasure amongst gamers back then. I hope they can regain some of their mystique.
 
So we got Crimson Skies, Forza Motorsports, Kingdom Underfire, Microsoft Flight Simulator, Midtown Madness (are they even making another one?) and Viva Pinata/RARE. Looks like MS is giving up on the first party/second party titles.
 
No, Halo and bungie titles are still Microsoft's. This doesn't change anything about exclusivity..

Although even if it did, I'd still love Bungie's games.

From Frank O'Connor, Bungie's head PR/Community guy-
[size=+3]"We’ll continue to make Xbox 360 games, and we’ll continue to make amazing games for MGS. In that regard, nothing has changed. All that has changed is that now Bungie Studios is once again, the property of the folks of Bungie Studios."[/size]

Read, people! This means that Bungie is very much second party and little changes except giving them more creative freedom in what projects to pursue and how to go about creating them.
http://biz.gamedaily.com/industry/feature/?id=1768
 
[quote name='Punk_Raven']Halo wouldn't have been popular without the Xbox brand. Xbox was a new plane and Halo was the only thing out at the time to shine on it, plus it's common knowledge that it's just an average shooter compared to some PC titles.[/quote]That is 100% false. Go bone up on your 1999 hype wagons.
 
[quote name='daroga']That is 100% false. Go bone up on your 1999 hype wagons.[/quote]

None the less, I would still say it's average compared to some console shooters. :)
 
[quote name='H.Cornerstone']None the less, I would still say it's average compared to some console shooters. :)[/QUOTE]
Most definitely. It's quite fun, but everyone knows Halo is about Live. I don't know if without Live it would have been successful but that's unrelated to MS' marketing machine.
 
[quote name='Monsta Mack']So we got Crimson Skies, Forza Motorsports, Kingdom Underfire, Microsoft Flight Simulator, Midtown Madness (are they even making another one?) and Viva Pinata/RARE. Looks like MS is giving up on the first party/second party titles.[/QUOTE]

And Fable.

Microsoft will still get many exclusives from third parties. I personally am looking forward to Too Human and Ninja Gaiden II next year.
 
Maybe MS has a agenda to actually make a profit? This is mind boggling.

Or maybe It's just the start of MS to let go of companies and back somebody else in the console wars. You can only lose money for so long.
 
[quote name='torifile']Most definitely. It's quite fun, but everyone knows Halo is about Live. I don't know if without Live it would have been successful but that's unrelated to MS' marketing machine.[/QUOTE]

Except for the millions of people who played the hell out of co-op and system link before live even existed, and still play those things locally.. these kids always have to simplify things.

I actually would not mind Microsoft backing Nintendo.. they fill each others' negative areas so well, it would be amazing.
 
[quote name='jer7583']I actually would not mind Microsoft backing Nintendo.. they fill each others' negative areas so well, it would be amazing.[/quote]This is a very true statement.

Could be a wild 8th generation ;)
 
[quote name='NamelessMC']After all, let's face it. None of you would've cared about Halo if MS didn't make it what it is.[/quote]

I still don't care about Halo.
 
[quote name='Monsta Mack']Maybe MS has a agenda to actually make a profit? This is mind boggling.

Or maybe It's just the start of MS to let go of companies and back somebody else in the console wars. You can only lose money for so long.[/QUOTE]


The other popular theory is that they aren't returning at all after the 360 :lol:
 
[quote name='Nephlabobo']I still don't care about Halo.[/QUOTE]

Guys! This guy cares SO little about Halo that HE POSTED IN A THREAD ABOUT HALO! He took 30 seconds of his life to write about something because he so doesn't care about it! It's amazing! Let's get this kid a medal.
 
[quote name='jer7583']Guys! This guy cares SO little about Halo that HE POSTED IN A THREAD ABOUT HALO! He took 30 seconds of his life to write about something because he so doesn't care about it! It's amazing! Let's get this kid a medal.[/QUOTE]
And how many seconds of your life have you wasted replying to every single person who posts something bad about Halo? Just ignore them.
 
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