Bungie Universe
This topic has moved here: Subject: Halo 3 has been in the works since late 2003. Confirmation inside.
  • Subject: Halo 3 has been in the works since late 2003. Confirmation inside.
Subject: Halo 3 has been in the works since late 2003. Confirmation inside.

This may have already been posted elsewhere, but I didn't see it on the first couple of pages, so here goes.

Steve Ballmer, CEO of Microsoft talking about Microsoft Office on October 21st. 2003:

We'll show you a capability inside the Office System today that delivers on what we call Information Rights Management. We're working on the next version -- I hate to tell you this confidentially but I'll have to swear you to secrecy now -- we're working on the next version of Xbox right now and we're working on Halo 2 and Halo 3, the two newest versions of the game.

So, Bungie is at least working on Halo 3 at the most basic of levels. I think when put into context with the "intentional" cliff-hanger ending of Halo 2 it makes perfect sense. Draw the Xbox crowd and some new gamers over to Xbox and Xbox Live with Halo 2, strip the ending, and then -- with the hook baited -- give them Halo 3 with Xbox Next.

What do you think?

  • 12.14.2004 8:41 AM PDT
  • gamertag:
  • user homepage:
  • last post: 01.01.0001 12:00 AM PDT

To Whom It May Concern,

Then after he said that Bungie employees came out and said that they were not working on Halo 2 and that he was being over-zealous and wrong. Look, quite frankly if the person doesn't work for Bungie then don't belive it. Yes Microsoft owns Bungie but if they push Bungie in a direction they don't want to go too hard then who's to say that everyone wont quit? I mean who wouldn't hire these guys.

But getting back on topic, no Halo 3 hasn't been in the works, or at least not specifically. Yeah Bungie said that Halo 2 would be the end of the saga, but while making Halo 2 they probably had so many things that they all wanted to see in it or just so much more of an epic scale but the Xbox and/or current development technology couldn't handle everything they wanted so they didn't include everything and decided that when technology can represent the vision that they all share they would make and finish the story (nobody ever pushes this side of the story...).

Thank you for your time today.

CPL McArthur
Fox Company

  • 12.14.2004 8:51 AM PDT

I'm pretty sure that while Bungie is allowed to operate failry independantly, the CEO of Microsoft can and does get information regarding their development process.

I don't buy that he was simply being overzealous. His statement would have been just as potent naming Xbox Next and Halo 2 only as examples of top secret projects that require data protection and sharing sensitivity. Why would he just throw Halo 3 into the mix for no reason?

  • 12.14.2004 8:55 AM PDT
  • gamertag:
  • user homepage:
  • last post: 01.01.0001 12:00 AM PDT

No.

That statement is incorrect. Do not believe anything about Halo 3 unless it came directly from Bungie.

Sheesh.

  • 12.14.2004 8:58 AM PDT
  • gamertag:
  • user homepage:
  • last post: 01.01.0001 12:00 AM PDT

To Whom It May Concern,

Yes he could have made an error, and yes he could have said it just to buy the crowd, or make himself look good. Its called human error, and he made one. They may have been talking to Bungie about making a Halo 3, they may have been in negotiations. But, the cold fact is they were not making Halo 3 at that time. Not to argue but honestly, if it doesn't come from the mouth of someone from Bungie and Bungie only don't belive it.

Thank you for your time today.

CPL McArthur
Fox Company

  • 12.14.2004 9:05 AM PDT

So all that stuff on the Xbox website including guides, tutorials, video, screens, and everything else is void because it's provided as a service from Microsoft?

I'd like to see a Bungie employee come in here and call Ballmer a liar.

  • 12.14.2004 9:06 AM PDT
  • gamertag:
  • user homepage:
  • last post: 01.01.0001 12:00 AM PDT

In October last year, an erroneous release from Microsoft supremo Steve Ballmer caught a few Bungie employees off-guard. Mr. Ballmer's statement to the press (on a completely unrelated matter) contained the following shocker, " we're working on the next version of Xbox right now and we're working on Halo 2 and Halo 3, the two newest versions of the game." Halo 3? What the...! Anyway, turns out it was a mistake, nobody had to go quickly program anything, and work continued on Halo 2.

From the bungie history section, under halo 2

  • 12.14.2004 9:49 AM PDT

Thanks for the quote Kroll. I think I'll remain skeptical though considering.

I hate to tell you this confidentially but I'll have to swear you to secrecy now -- we're working on the next version of Xbox right now and we're working on Halo 2 and Halo 3, the two newest versions of the game.

It was no secret that Bungie was working on Halo 2. In fact, it was common knowledge well before October of 2003. The same can be said for the next iteration of the Xbox. Now, why would Ballmer state that this infomation is confidential and secret when referring to two items that were clearly neither.

The answer? He intentionally included Halo 3 in the mix and he thought his comments were indeed confidential.

Bungie responds by stating it was a mistake, which is obvious. It's a rather big slip up when you consider Bungie's silent position on the matter. They also deflect by stating that they didn't have to run out and code anything. Well, you don't need programming to storyboard a game or brainstorm at basic levels.

So they technically didn't say that what Steve said was false, only that it was a mistake. They also didn't clarify that they were not working on Halo 3, only that they weren't busying themselves with the programming aspects of it.

Personally, I think this has much to do with that abduction that I experienced last month, but hey, that's just me.

  • 12.14.2004 10:02 AM PDT

Ach! Was ist los?

Steve Ballmer doesn't have a clue as to what he's talking about. Microsoft retracts his statements with a regularity that one could set one's watch by.

--Sgt. Smith translates that as, "MS wastes a lot of money on Ballmerite damage control."

  • 12.14.2004 10:06 AM PDT

- Mike

Halo 3 Trailer

  • 12.14.2004 10:21 AM PDT

Posted by: BobBQ
Steve Ballmer doesn't have a clue as to what he's talking about. Microsoft retracts his statements with a regularity that one could set one's watch by.

--Sgt. Smith translates that as, "MS wastes a lot of money on Ballmerite damage control."


That's odd because the press release is sitting on Microsoft's official site right now, more than a full year after the interview was conducted. Worst. retraction. ever.

  • 12.14.2004 10:25 AM PDT
  • gamertag:
  • user homepage:
  • last post: 01.01.0001 12:00 AM PDT

Ballmer and Bungie already admitted that mistake.

  • 12.14.2004 10:26 AM PDT
  • gamertag:
  • user homepage:
  • last post: 01.01.0001 12:00 AM PDT

E-mail Frankie and see if he'll confirm your misguided speculations. I doubt it though.

  • 12.14.2004 10:29 AM PDT

Posted by: Tanikaze
Ballmer and Bungie already admitted that mistake.


Can you link me to any report of Ballmer admitting that it was a mistake? All I see is the small blurb in the Bungie history section that is fairly ambiguous (Ace and Gary, anone?).

  • 12.14.2004 10:39 AM PDT
  • gamertag:
  • user homepage:
  • last post: 01.01.0001 12:00 AM PDT

im been hearing that latly! are they or are they making a Halo 3? im really wandering if the Rumor are true?

  • 12.14.2004 12:18 PM PDT
  • gamertag:
  • user homepage:
  • last post: 01.01.0001 12:00 AM PDT

Can you link me to any report of Ballmer admitting that it was a mistake? All I see is the small blurb in the Bungie history section that is fairly ambiguous (Ace and Gary, anone?).
Hmm, I did a search looking for a Halo3 comment retraction from MS or Ballmer, and didn't find one. Some likely hits that didn't pan out are listed for those also searching (skip 'em if you want, no big surprises found).

http://spong.com/detail/news.asp?prid=3907 - link to a retraction about a generic comment Ballmer made concerning XBOX sales in Australia that was misinterpreted.

http://www.yeek.com/news/news.cgi/article/EpVyFupZkygtiFVIkl0 726 - Talk about Ballmer mistake about XBOX2 aka XBOX Next.

Another link to CNET's retraction on the XBOX2 story (June2003):
http://news.com.com/2100-1043_3-1019181.html?tag=fd_top

http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/exec/steve/2003/10-21offic e-lau nch.asp - The source transcript from the October 21, 2003 event where Ballmer mentions XBOX2 & Halo3.

http://www.microsoft-watch.com/article2/0,1995,1729352,00.asp ?kc=M WRSS02129TX1K0000535 - another retraction Microsoft had to make concerning a statement made by Ballmer.

http://209.157.64.200/focus/f-news/1283010/posts - nifty cartoon lambasting Ballmer.

http://radio.weblogs.com/0001011/2004/10/04.html#a8350 - Blog stuff about Ballmer making more grandiose statements.

My personal conclusion: Ballmer was making statements for Bungie w/o consulting them first. The google searches I ran show a trend in his public statements (as mentioned by another poster here) of making statements that aren't true or were intentionally vague in order to put MS in the best possible light. He may be the CEO, but he is human & therefore prone to err. In terms of public speaking, he must be a Public Affairs Department's worst nightmare!

Take care,
Cavmn

[Edited on 12/14/2004 12:30:18 PM]

  • 12.14.2004 12:29 PM PDT

Why would Ballmer make up Halo 3 and use it as a reference at a Microsoft Office press conference unless he had, at the very least, heard about it's development in house? Using the next Xbox and Halo 2 would have served his need to indicate his trust in secure document sharing with his product. Halo 3 has no business being involved, other than he is trying to drum up excitement. Of course, he could have just went with Xbox Next for that, but he didn't.

That, coupled with the fact that MS still has the press release up and running seems to indicate to me that he just blabbed in his excitement. If it were untrue, why would Bungie's parent company not, at the very least, put an asterisk in there and include a footnote saying, "Whoops!"?

  • 12.14.2004 1:30 PM PDT
  • gamertag:
  • user homepage:
  • last post: 01.01.0001 12:00 AM PDT

I dont think they are making a Halo3 because it would be one super long ass game. And they were working on halo2 during E3 in 2003 so no i think tht halo 3 has been in the works since late 2003.

  • 12.14.2004 2:18 PM PDT
  • gamertag:
  • user homepage:
  • last post: 01.01.0001 12:00 AM PDT

Halo 2 took up all the time available. Trust me. You try making a huge kickass game such as Halo 2 in three years with less then 70 employees. From scratch. It's hard.

And even if, who cares? If Halo 3 comes out, it'll be out. If it doesn't, it doesn't. You can't change anything, so why worry your precious brain cells over such an issue?

[Edited on 12/14/2004 2:29:21 PM]

  • 12.14.2004 2:28 PM PDT
  • gamertag:
  • user homepage:
  • last post: 01.01.0001 12:00 AM PDT

who cares, it will be even worse than halo2 was... -blam!- halo2 and 3, im gonna keep on playing halo1..its perfect in any way except the pistol. :/

[Edited on 12/14/2004 2:36:39 PM]

  • 12.14.2004 2:35 PM PDT
  • gamertag:
  • user homepage:
  • last post: 01.01.0001 12:00 AM PDT

yes i agree with stickman army it doesnt matter they might make 3 they might not i do addmit they left with a clif hanger were cortana says what she says but. maybe it will show the rest of the story if you beat it on legendary. thats what happened in the first one if you all beat it that way.

so most likely bungie did the same thing in halo 2. so you dont have any thing to debate about until you beat halo 2 on legendary

  • 12.14.2004 3:26 PM PDT
Subject: NO Confirmation inside this thread yet.
  • gamertag:
  • user homepage:
  • last post: 01.01.0001 12:00 AM PDT

Why would Ballmer make up Halo 3 and use it as a reference at a Microsoft Office press conference unless he had, at the very least, heard about it's development in house?
First off, I don't think Ballmer just made it up. I DO think he misspoke in that he didn't research his sources or verify information (super secret or otherwise) before mentioning it when speaking in public. That's what he has a history of doing - check the links I posted in my earlier reply to verify.

I would hazard a guess that some people working at Bungie AND at Microsoft HAVE talked about Halo3 AND the XBOX2. Most of us on these forums have. That doesn't mean it is going to happen the way we think. If Stosh, Shiksa, Sketchfactor, and Frankie all get together and talk about Halo3 over a beer, it doesn't mean anything. Replace those names with those of Microsoft VP's & Board Directors and it still doesn't.

Ballmer I'm pretty sure sits through TONS of committee meetings and manager meetings. During these, topics of all sorts come up. He may have been half-asleep (or distracted) at one of them involving game development and heard Halo3&XBOX2 mentioned, and he remembered it. What he probably didn't remember is that these were theoretical or VERY preliminary talks. While Halo2 & Bungie are central issues on these forums, realistically they are very minor in the big scheme of things within the realm of all things Microsoft.

I really think Bungie would have addressed this issue if Ballmer had really let the cat out of the bag. Instead, as already pointed out, the only Bungie response I've seen did NOT corroborate Ballmer's commment.

Take care,
Cavmn

  • 12.15.2004 1:23 PM PDT