yeah, so bungie is joining forces with activision/blizzard. Halo Developer Joins Forces With Activision - Bungie - Kotaku i know microsoft owns the halo franchise not bungie, but it looks like their next release will be alot sooner, with alot more expensive DLC
" Bungie remains an independent company and will continue to own their intellectual property. From the sound of it, Activision gets to publishing rights to one IP on multiple platforms. This agreement certainly does not mean that Bungie is part of Activision."
bungie/activision merger discussion Spoiler NON FACETE NOBIS CALCITRARE VESTRUM PERINÆUM Posted by urk at 4/29/2010 4:59 AM PDT Bungie and Activision Announce Exclusive, Worldwide Partnership. The story of Bungie is wild, winding, and full of majestic wonder. We’ve treaded many pathways over these last nineteen years. But for all the twists and turns we’ve taken, we’re still doing what we set out to do from the beginning, back when the whole of “Bungie Software Products Corporation” consisted of two friends operating out of a basement in Chicago: Making kick ass games that we want to play. And as Bungie has grown, the industry’s best and brightest have been totally accretive to our own creative margins. It’s no secret that while the full might of our studio has focused on making Halo: Reach, another core team, led by our co-founder and Studio Creative Director, Jason Jones, has already begun laying the groundwork to bring our newest universe, stories, and characters to life. Today, we’re poised to open a new chapter in Bungie’s history—one that begins with a partnership between Bungie and Activision and ends where we always knew it would, with World Domination. Our Next Big Thing now has a concrete path, leading from our studio to the platforms of our choosing. The business formalities are behind us. Our Constitution remains unchanged. We are still Bungie, still independent, and now we are free to bring our stories to an ever bigger audience. Next up, the most ambitious game we’ve ever made, Halo: Reach. Built upon ten years of experience developing the Halo franchise, we’ve assembled the best team, the best technology, and the best talent to ensure that Reach is the game our fans deserve. Strap in and buckle up tight, we’re sending our baby out with a bang. Once the smoke clears, all the pieces will finally be in place for Step 7. Don’t worry, though. We won’t let World Domination go to our heads. We’re gonna keep making kick ass games on our own terms, and since you’ve been so supportive throughout the years, we’d love to bring you along for the ride. FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE BUNGIE AND ACTIVISION ANNOUNCE EXCLUSIVE, WORLDWIDE PARTNERSHIP 10-Year Alliance Expands Global Reach for Leading Game Developer Across Multiple Platforms Kirkland, WA and Santa Monica, CA – April 29, 2010 -- Bungie, the developer of blockbuster game franchises including Halo, Myth and Marathon, and Activision, a wholly owned subsidiary of Activision Blizzard, the #1 online games publisher (Nasdaq: ATVI), announced today that they have entered into an exclusive 10-year partnership to bring Bungie’s next big action game universe to market. Under the terms of the agreement, Activision will have exclusive, worldwide rights to publish and distribute all future Bungie games based on the new intellectual property on multiple platforms and devices. Bungie remains an independent company and will continue to own their intellectual property. Additional terms of the agreement were not disclosed. The groundbreaking alliance will provide Bungie its first such partnership since splitting off from Microsoft in 2007, significantly broadening its global reach by providing the resources and support to develop, distribute and release games worldwide on multiple platforms and devices. Activision will broaden its portfolio with a new franchise from one of the industry’s most creative, successful and proven studios, whose games have sold more than 25 million units worldwide. To date, Bungie’s Halo games have generated approximately $1.5 billion in revenues, according to The NPD Group, Charttrack and GfK. Activision expects this agreement to be accretive to its operating margins as of the release of the first game. “We chose to partner with Activision on our next IP because of their global reach, multi-platform experience and marketing expertise,” said Harold Ryan, President of Bungie. “From working together over the past nine months on this agreement, it is clear that Activision supports our commitment to giving our fans the best possible gaming experiences.” “Bungie is one of the premier studios in our industry and we are extremely pleased to have the opportunity to work with their talented team over the next decade,” stated Thomas Tippl, Chief Operating Officer of Activision Blizzard. “Bungie has developed some of the most compelling and successful games, multiplayer experiences and thriving fan communities, and this alliance underscores our long-standing commitment to foster the industry’s best creative talent. Our unprecedented partnership with Bungie will enable us to broaden our pipeline of exciting new games as we continue to strengthen our industry position and pursue long-term growth opportunities.” Tags: About Bungie, History of Bungie so, its been annouced, bungie has merged with activision, discuss how you feel about it, what you think is to come, what an enirely ridicoulas idea it weas, anything, as long as it pertains to the topic. Merged into older thread ~ Shock
Bungie has not merged with Activision in the same way as Infinity Ward. Activision publishes the game, but Bungie is still completely independent.
Activision is the best publisher out there, I don't understand why people are upset over this. It's not like it's EA or anything...
Fix'd. EA has changed over the last year or 2 with Mass Effect 2 and Bad Company 2. I just don't like what Activision has done with Infinity Ward just to get more money for themselves. Like some people are saying, maybe Activision is just publishing the games and not rushing them or influencing them. MW2 was rushed because of Activision. I'll still buy Bungie's games, god knows what they will be.
How can you say EA is not better than Activision? Over the past few years, EA has really turned themselves around and created their EA's Partners Program to allow creative freedom for many developers and funding their projects. Meanwhile, Activision has managed to run two huge franchises into the ground (Tony Hawk and Guitar Hero) and are diligently working on their third (CoD). I just don't see the argument for a company whose leaders have openly said that it doesn't matter whether a game is fun or innovative, and that the only thing that a game should do is make profit. I'll leave you with this. He's also said he runs his company with a sense of "skepticism, pessimism, and fear", and that he refuses to fund "franchises that don’t have the potential to be exploited every year across every platform."
Lol. EA has ruined MANY franchises. Madden, Skate, The Sims, Command and Conquer, The James Bond franchise (which they do not own anymore), Burnout. Just because the few "success stories" EA has to offer doesn't make up for the shitstorm of games they ruined. Regardless, Bungie owns the Intellectual Property to anything they make, as the contract states. Unlike Infinity Ward, Activision are not Bungies' parent owner. They are not controlled and manipulated by whatever influence Activision has. Activision is only there to send people in China copies of the game that Bungie makes.
I think that the spectacle Bungie performed when they shut down TIMES SQUARE in New York says everything needed: NO ONE messes with Bungie I don't think that Activision could ever get Bungie on it's leash like it does Infinity Ward BTW How many studios are making COD now? I know there were two in Activision, and is there the new one the ousted Infinity Ward Execs made?
I believe it's 3-4. Respawn Entertainment doesn't own the rights to CoD, so they can't make it. Let's see: Sledgehammer Games Treyarch "1-2 developers who have no history with CoD"