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BREAKING: Bungie leaves Microsoft!
blog.seattlepi.nwsource.com — A friend of mine who has someone close that works at Bungie has just been dying to tell me a secret about their future. Since the NDA officially expire today the sent me and email with the details. I have full faith in this contact. Yes, BREAKING. Because it's literally happening *now.
xjoi- 41 diggs
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- xjoi, on 10/10/2007, -6/+1It's speculation, but still... seems concrete enough.
- jimbojim, on 10/10/2007, -0/+5How on earth does this seem concrete?
- xjoi, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3I live in Imagination Town where I can read on the internet and believe every word it has to say to me? C'mon man, get with the times. The internet is 100% truthful.
For instance, I am a girl. 16. Virg.- popfrogs, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Bah, I bet she's a Leo.
- thebusdriver, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1I dont think thats what she meant by Virg...
- xjoi, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3I live in Imagination Town where I can read on the internet and believe every word it has to say to me? C'mon man, get with the times. The internet is 100% truthful.
- thebusdriver, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Except that MICROSOFT OWNS BUNGIE. Bungie can not "leave" Microsoft.
- jimbojim, on 10/10/2007, -0/+5How on earth does this seem concrete?
- FitzTML, on 10/10/2007, -0/+11A friend, of a friend, of a friend says the moon is made of cheese. Where's the Press release?
- 8bitJake, on 10/10/2007, -6/+1I can't reveal who my source is but I stand by it. They will confirm this in a week or so but currently Microsoft is not flat out denying it.
- AwesomeMonster, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3Alright, i got this source right, and right now, he tells me that Hitler has risen from the dead and is doing your mom. Go check up on that.
You aren't flat out denying it so its true.
- AwesomeMonster, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3Alright, i got this source right, and right now, he tells me that Hitler has risen from the dead and is doing your mom. Go check up on that.
- agbulls, on 10/10/2007, -3/+1the world is ending!!!!! noooooooo.
- readme, on 10/10/2007, -0/+6Asked three people I know at MS to confirm or deny and they will do neither. This is just like when Moore quit.
- kinseyincanada, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3well Microsoft would still own the Halo franchise.
- djSyndrome, on 10/10/2007, -2/+1And they would have to find someone else to develop it.
- greenblob, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2Rare+Halo=???
- djSyndrome, on 10/10/2007, -2/+1And they would have to find someone else to develop it.
- Responder656, on 10/10/2007, -2/+1Woah. That not only slams the recent Halo 4 rumours, but now Bungie is able to make new IP's for Sony and Nintendo.
- joshzweig, on 10/10/2007, -3/+0Halo 4/Halo-Based-Amazingness For PS3?
- jimbojim, on 10/10/2007, -0/+4Oh yeah I totally believe this friend of a random internet goer.
- felman87, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Why bungie and why now? Then again, they got rid of bizarre creations right on the heels of PGR4. Stupid move MS. Are you planning to leave the console gaming world or what?1
- bigbadgoat, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3maybe they're cutting their losses after going billions in debt?
their gaming division is yet to have a profitable year... maybe they're slowly pulling out.
- bigbadgoat, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3maybe they're cutting their losses after going billions in debt?
- AwesomeMonster, on 10/10/2007, -1/+2Hey, hey man. I've got this source, adn this source tells me that umm... Ratchet and clank has been canceled for ps3 and now is for 360.
See I can make ***** up too! - MiltonWaddams, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2"Apparently MS just wants Bungie to make Halo for the rest of their natural days, and Bungie doesn't like how MS is constantly trying to "handle" everything they do; the way they market their games."
I don't know. I think I'd be pretty happy with the way MS has marketed Halo 3. It's been unavoidable for the past 3-4 months. - xjoi, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3I was going to write this same thing but I noticed it was posted as a comment on the blog:
The scenario is not hard to believe.
You buy a company and you sign retention agreements for key employees, i.e. the team.
These employees have HUGE financial incentive to stay so they do.
3 or 5 or 7 years later depending upon the contract, the time is up. MS formally acquired bungie about 7 years ago at this time... they announced intention on june 19th, add 3 months for presumed legal stuff, and you get september 19th, which is close today, give or take.
So... retention contracts go POOF, and suddenly a bunch of key people can leave with no penalty.
The value of a software company is A) its people and B) its IP... but you cant own people!
So the people say to microsoft, we are going to leave, and while we wont solicit the rest of the team, we are their leaders and maybe theyll call us for jobs. MS knows from past experience that that will happen.. and bungie employees would like to keep their tech, so they cut a deal -- bungie goes its own way and gets a license to use all the tech it wrote while part of MS, and signs an xbox exclusive deal for a while. That's good business for MS, because the alternative is to lose the team and have them go 4-platform, which they certainly can do profitably with the games they can make.
Even if MS was the best corporate owner ever, the Halo team members have an enormous incentive to quit and start their own company with the amount of money they could make the company worth.
The email is consistent with this -- the IP is held by MS, but the team leaves. This is a common issue with software company acquisitions. - readme, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2It looks like something is definitely up. Luke Smith and Stinkles, two of the the most frequent Bungie posters on GAF have not spoken up in the thread on this. It would take one post to end this and they won't or can't give even that. Stinkles has posted in other threads since. Everyone at MS is mum. Something is going down.
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