Alright, so renowned developer Bungie has inked a deal with the biggest, most notorious publisher in the industry. What will come of this? The Gaming Vault examines the facts, and asks some common questions that are already appearing in comment fields all over the internet.

• Why did they do this? Don’t they know that Activision is evil?!

Unfortunately, it’s not as easy as that. Activision is a company, that means they do business, and that they have to make money. They are no more evil than Microsoft, Apple, Universal or Twitter. All of these have been accused of nefarious business tactics at some point, yet they still deliver products we love. Even Google, whose company motto is “Don’t be evil”, have had claims against them about privacy issues and misuse of information. So despite what feelings you harbor for them, or what their public appearance might be, they can’t be seen purely as evil. After all, they publish plenty of good products, don’t they?

• But why Activision? Why not EA, 2K, or any of the other publishers?

You would have to ask Bungie themselves for the specifics, but remember that Activision is the single largest publisher in our industry. This means being able to print more copies, distribute to more locations, and make more ads and marketing material than any other company. Heck, Modern Warfare 2 ads appeared on prime-time television, one of them debuting during the NBA finals. Not even EA can throw that much money around, and that must look attractive to a developer wanting to maintain their popularity and sales numbers. Like head of Bungie, Harold Ryan, says in the press release: “We chose to partner with Activision on our next IP because of their global reach, multi-platform experience and marketing expertise”

• But I thought Bungie was a Microsoft company?

Not anymore. Bungie was originally an independent studio, having made the Marathon and Myth series. Originally, Halo was slated to be released simultaneously on Mac and PC. During development, Microsoft acquired the company, and turned Halo: Combat Evolved into a launch title for the original Xbox, with great success. They continued to be a subsidiary of Microsoft until 2007, when they became an independent studio again, but they kept developing Halo games for Microsoft.

• Doesn’t Bungie only know how to develop for the 360? Will the next game be 360 exclusive?

Like I mentioned earlier, Bungie did develop PC titles before being acquired, so their skillset isn’t that limited. And they clearly state in the press release that “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.” As a self-confessed PC nerd, I do hope they will make something for us too, but expect primarily cross-platform PS3/360 titles, at least that’s what I will assume, given the market, and both Bungie’s and Activisions release history.

• Wait, I thought Bungie was making a Halo game right now?

They still are. Halo: Reach is developed by Bungie, and it’s nearing completion. They will open the multiplayer beta for it soon, and it will be released in the coming fall. This title is what the majority of Bungie’s team is focusing on right now, and after that they will shift to whatever they’re making next.

• So this is the end of the Halo franchise?
  

Hardly. While Bungie was the originator and main developer on the franchise, it is still owned by Microsoft. It’s their most successful franchise, having sold over 25 million units combined. I can’t imagine Microsoft not using a franchise that is so successful and regarded so highly by fans, even if it meant not using Bungie to develop it. Remember, Halo Wars, the RTS title, was not made by Bungie but by Ensemble Studios.  Microsoft even made a subdivision called 343 Industries, who are the designated caretakers of the franchise. They have several ex-Bungie employees on staff, and are responsible for both the Halo: Legends anime, and Halo Waypoint, the media hub on the 360 for all things Halo. Hopefully, they will be able to preserve what has made so many people love the franchise, even without Bungie.

• So why did Bungie leave Microsoft? I thought the Halo franchise was extremely successful.

Oh, it certainly was. Still is, in fact. However, Bungie wanted to become independent again, and they wanted to be able to work on a new IP, and not only make Halo games over and over. It was a peaceful split, though, Microsoft kept a large amount of shares in the company, and Bungie continued to make Halo titles exclusively for the Xbox 360. While controversial, it certainly caused a lot less ruckus than the developer split that is dominating news these days.

• Speaking of that, Activision is infamous for making their developers reiterate on the same franchise over and over, wont this happen with Bungie as well? I mean, the contract is for 10 years…

This question is what is on most gamers’ mind, and it certainly was my gut reaction as well. But after reading and rereading the press release and Bungie’s statement, I feel a lot more confident about it than before. There are some key wordings in it that are crucial. For example: “Bungie remains an independent company and will continue to own their intellectual property.“, and from Bungie’s website: “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.” This makes it very clearly that they are still their own masters, and hopefully they will decide what they make, and when to make it.

It is also quite clear that the deal is for the specific new IP that Bungie is working on right now. From the press release: “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.” Note that it’s the new property, not any. This means that if Bungie makes another new IP, Activision will not automatically be the publisher (though they might have the right of first refusal, this is not mentioned).

We don’t know how the deal is structured, but it seems to be a very different beast than for example Guitar Hero, Tony Hawk or Call of Duty. In those franchises, Activision not only owns the IP, they own the studios making them, like Red Octane, Neversoft and Infinity Ward, something that has made them able to make as many games with those names as they wanted. This deal looks decidedly different. (Addition: Bungie community director Brian Jarrard said to Develop that “the key difference between us and Infinity Ward is that we are independent, we will keep our own IP, so I wouldn’t say it was concerning.”)

What also instills confidence in me, is that Bungie is smart, and they have been burned before. The press release specifies that they spent nine months working out this deal, something that tells me that every single clause of that contract has been worked over and discussed vehemently by both parties, to make sure it’s beneficial for both of them. We have no idea in which direction this will go, but I’m hoping for a positive one, at least more positive than the situation we’re seeing today with Infinity Ward.

Hopefully this has cleared a couple of things up. Let me know what you think of this deal in the comments.