3 ms·

Bungie Has 10-Year Plan for Secret New Game Series

12 points by aresant 17y ago

iamdave 17y ago
Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't part of the reason Bungie left Microsoft (and by extention, InfinityWard cut ties with Activision) to do with the publisher trying to get TOO involved with what the developer does because of exclusivity contracts?
- nickelplate 17y ago
  I think they left Microsoft because they wanted to make games at their own pace (they must have crunched like crazy to get Halo 1, 2 and 3 out the door), own the games they create, and reach as broad a customer base as possible (i.e. releasing their games on multiple platforms). Infinity Ward is fully owned by Activision (and so are their IPs), so their situation is different.
  - iamdave 17y ago
    Ah. Thank you.
jey 17y ago
Why does Bungie need/want to sign a contract with a publisher ahead of time anyway? They presumably have tons of cash on hand, and they have enough of a track record that they should be the ones jerking publishers around instead of putting themselves in a servile position.
- vl 17y ago
  Like I wouldn't worry about Apple in Apple-AT&T relationship, I'm not worrying about Bungie in this one. The thing which is surprising in this whole story is that Microsoft let them go.
- timdorr 17y ago
  It took them 9 months to negotiate with Activision and they tried things with every possible major publisher under the sun. They seem to have gotten a sweet deal too (keep your own IP, remain independent, publisher basically just prints discs and ships them to the stores). They were going to have to pick one eventually anyways, so they might as well do it during the planning stages so they're not ending up building something that no publisher is going to acquiesce to.
naz 17y ago
> “The scope and the ambition of what we’re planning is much greater than the scope and the ambition of Halo,” Am I missing something here? There wasn't that much scope or ambition to Halo, it was a console port of standard FPS elements that had been around for years.
- nickelplate 17y ago
  > it was a console port of standard FPS elements that had been around for years. But the way they were put together is what makes Halo unique and why there is nothing out there that plays like it. Limiting the player to two weapons alone adds a nice pace and strategic element to the gameplay that I have yet to find in any other game in the genre. There also aren't that many shooters - even today - that make such a good use of vehicles, in the solo campaign or in multiplayer.
  - arethuza 17y ago
    They must be doing something right - Halo 3 multiplayer is the only thing I play on our Xbox. Truly it is a happy day when I get more kills in a multiplayer game than my 11 year old son :-)
  - naz 17y ago
    > Limiting the player to two weapons alone adds a nice pace and strategic element to the gameplay that I have yet to find in any other game in the genre. Counter Strike had limited weapons and became hugely popular two years earlier.
    - trafficlight 17y ago
      And is infinitely more fun than Halo.
- CWIZO 17y ago
  You have to look at the whole thing. There are two sequels to the original Halo, then there is HALO:ODTS and Halo Wars. There are at least 5 novels, I don't know how many comic books, a anime in the works and a movie that might one day be made. They have built a fascinating universe around the original game (which to be fair, on it's own doesn't make much sense, story wise ...). Think Star Wars ... What's different is that they haven't planned any of this when they made the first Halo, now they are planning all this from the get go.

12 points by aresant 17y ago

Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't part of the reason Bungie left Microsoft (and by extention, InfinityWard cut ties with Activision) to do with the publisher trying to get TOO involved with what the developer does because of exclusivity contracts?

nickelplate 17y ago
I think they left Microsoft because they wanted to make games at their own pace (they must have crunched like crazy to get Halo 1, 2 and 3 out the door), own the games they create, and reach as broad a customer base as possible (i.e. releasing their games on multiple platforms). Infinity Ward is fully owned by Activision (and so are their IPs), so their situation is different.
- iamdave 17y ago
  Ah. Thank you.

jey 17y ago

Why does Bungie need/want to sign a contract with a publisher ahead of time anyway? They presumably have tons of cash on hand, and they have enough of a track record that they should be the ones jerking publishers around instead of putting themselves in a servile position.

vl 17y ago
Like I wouldn't worry about Apple in Apple-AT&T relationship, I'm not worrying about Bungie in this one. The thing which is surprising in this whole story is that Microsoft let them go.
timdorr 17y ago
It took them 9 months to negotiate with Activision and they tried things with every possible major publisher under the sun. They seem to have gotten a sweet deal too (keep your own IP, remain independent, publisher basically just prints discs and ships them to the stores). They were going to have to pick one eventually anyways, so they might as well do it during the planning stages so they're not ending up building something that no publisher is going to acquiesce to.

naz 17y ago

> “The scope and the ambition of what we’re planning is much greater than the scope and the ambition of Halo,” Am I missing something here? There wasn't that much scope or ambition to Halo, it was a console port of standard FPS elements that had been around for years.

nickelplate 17y ago
> it was a console port of standard FPS elements that had been around for years. But the way they were put together is what makes Halo unique and why there is nothing out there that plays like it. Limiting the player to two weapons alone adds a nice pace and strategic element to the gameplay that I have yet to find in any other game in the genre. There also aren't that many shooters - even today - that make such a good use of vehicles, in the solo campaign or in multiplayer.
- arethuza 17y ago
  They must be doing something right - Halo 3 multiplayer is the only thing I play on our Xbox. Truly it is a happy day when I get more kills in a multiplayer game than my 11 year old son :-)
- naz 17y ago
  > Limiting the player to two weapons alone adds a nice pace and strategic element to the gameplay that I have yet to find in any other game in the genre. Counter Strike had limited weapons and became hugely popular two years earlier.
  - trafficlight 17y ago
    And is infinitely more fun than Halo.
CWIZO 17y ago
You have to look at the whole thing. There are two sequels to the original Halo, then there is HALO:ODTS and Halo Wars. There are at least 5 novels, I don't know how many comic books, a anime in the works and a movie that might one day be made. They have built a fascinating universe around the original game (which to be fair, on it's own doesn't make much sense, story wise ...). Think Star Wars ... What's different is that they haven't planned any of this when they made the first Halo, now they are planning all this from the get go.