- F12
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- Exalted Heroic Member
Bungie was owned by Microsoft up until october 2007, with (apparently) key Bungie employees willing to leave if Microsoft didnt let them go independent, a deal was reached in that Bungie would once again be self-owned and in exchange the Halo property (EVERYTHING HALO) would belong to Microsoft, Bungie gained it's independence and Microsoft owns "Halo", the month following the release of Halo 3 Bungie announced that it was once again an independent developer because of those terms with Microsoft.
Bungie however was still contracted with Microsoft as it's publisher for two more Halo games, which is where we got Halo 3:ODST and Halo:Reach from, after fullfilling their contract with Microsoft with the release of Halo:Reach, the final game due to officially end that contract, Bungie started shopping around for a new publisher, showing off the conceptual stages of their new IP and chose Activision because of it's global reach and financial backing.
The terms of the agreement, as far as we know from what Bungie has revealed, is that the new IP would wholly be owned by Bungie, and that whatever decision that pertains to that IP would be decided by Bungie and only Bungie, for example let's say that Activision comes up to Harold Ryan (Bungie President or something like that) and says "Hey! you should cut a deal with "Lego" and make a Lego product line of your new IP and you have to share the profits 'cause we published it", Bungie can say "no" and that would be that.
It's a dream deal really, Bungie gets all the financial backing and gets to keep the IP (Intellectual Property) after the ten years with Activision are wrapped up, all activision is gettting is a share of the profits, which in todays gaming landscape is almost unheard of.
...and no Activision does not own Bungie, they simply contracted them. like two people starting a short term business partnership.
Get all that? ...and yes some Bungie employess over the last few years have left Bungie to continue work on Halo with 343i, one of which is the creator of the Master Chief, Frank O' Conner.
Rumors are swirling as of now though that Brian "Ske7ch" jarrard and Marcus Lehto have also joined 343i or at least left Bungie, again only rumors, from what we know from Archonos though is that the people that have left Bungie to join Frankie and 343i is at most only five people.
...and thats where we stand today, got it? Good.