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Subject: How could Bungie afford to be such a cool company?

Come now, no one pays attention to these things.

Before I start, I want to stress that I am not trying to be a Bungie fanboy, but I can't promise anything. Read at your own risk!

Bungie are unlike most game developers. Their well-known laid back atmosphere at the workplace and their good humored nature and so on and so forth lead me to one question: how could Bungie afford to become what it is today?

In a market where risks are frowned upon by large name publishers and financiers, where companies tug at all the strings they can to extract more and more money from customers, or developers who, while developing great games, give by-the-book customer care, how could companies that generally care about their customers and put creative vision above the big dough (Bungie, Valve and Bethesda to a lesser extent) become so successful?

How did Bungie become Bungie?

  • 09.10.2012 1:09 PM PDT
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  • Fabled Mythic Member

R.I.P. DeathPimp. Never Ending Respect.

"Posted by: Kickimanjaro
I'm trying to become an '04, but it's not working too well."

#dragons

(also, what eagles said)

[Edited on 09.10.2012 1:19 PM PDT]

  • 09.10.2012 1:09 PM PDT

It is the soldier, not the reporter, who has given us freedom of the press. It is the soldier, not the poet, who has given us freedom of speech. It is the soldier, not the campus organizer, who has given us the freedom to demonstrate. It is the soldier, not the lawyer, who has given us the right to a fair trial. And it is the soldier who salutes the flag, who serves the flag, whose coffin is draped in the flag that allows the protester to burn the flag.Father Dennis Edward O'Brien, USMC

Watch the vidoc.

  • 09.10.2012 1:10 PM PDT

Activision.

  • 09.10.2012 1:11 PM PDT

I <3 Halo:Reach - amazingly fun and best campaign + amazing Soundtrack
I <3 Halo 3:ODST - best soundtrack + Firefight + Coastal Highway and Mombassa Streets, amazingly unique campaign.
I <3 Halo 3 - best multiplayer levels + Forge + best Custom Games + soundtrack
I <3 Halo 2 - amazing huge fun campaign + soundtrack + Fun multiplayer
I <3 Halo: CE - started it all

I remember reading this comment by an "ex-Bungie employee" on an article talking about Bungies new studio, and showing a tour.

That kind of struck me in a way, that not everything we see is exactly how it goes. While Bungie the company may be awesome, I'm sure they arent "a laid back bunch of guys", and the work they give there employees in such a short time could potentially be a bad thing. I remember watching Halo 3 Essentials, and one of the playtester overlords watching the people test Halo 3, was getting pissed off at a tester, because he couldn't find out what to do in the campaign, and that to me is just wrong.


Of course, that comment could be fake, but I dont see why someone would fake such a thing.

[Edited on 09.10.2012 2:34 PM PDT]

  • 09.10.2012 2:31 PM PDT

Posted by: Enormous Corgi
Posted by: Unanimate Objec
There's no way Nate Hawbaker's favorite hero is Alan Stuart


ALAN IS A BEAUTIFUL MAN!


Posted by: NoWise10


Think about it. You work so hard to make a campaign everyone can enjoy, you try to make it crystal clear where to go without holding their hand, add in a possibly bad day...


Why wouldn't you get mad at someone who's main goal is to understand the goals they have in front of them, and not understand that goal?

  • 09.10.2012 2:41 PM PDT

How are Bungie so awesome? simple. A diet consisting solely of chickenpede...

  • 09.10.2012 2:41 PM PDT

I <3 Halo:Reach - amazingly fun and best campaign + amazing Soundtrack
I <3 Halo 3:ODST - best soundtrack + Firefight + Coastal Highway and Mombassa Streets, amazingly unique campaign.
I <3 Halo 3 - best multiplayer levels + Forge + best Custom Games + soundtrack
I <3 Halo 2 - amazing huge fun campaign + soundtrack + Fun multiplayer
I <3 Halo: CE - started it all


Posted by: Unanimate Objec


It is Bungies fault if they had a specific part in the campaign that a TESTER couldn't figure out what the objective was.

They don't just pull random testers off the street. They have experience in playing and testing games and aspects. I would feel extremely uncomfortable if I was testing someones games and they were getting pissed at me because I didn't know what to do. If they were annoyed, sure, but the guy was full on sighing right behind him saying "nope, sorry buddy thats not what you do" or along those lines.

Im not hating on Bungie, I love them, but im just sayin'.

[Edited on 09.10.2012 2:50 PM PDT]

  • 09.10.2012 2:48 PM PDT

Posted by: Enormous Corgi
Posted by: Unanimate Objec
There's no way Nate Hawbaker's favorite hero is Alan Stuart


ALAN IS A BEAUTIFUL MAN!


Posted by: NoWise10

Posted by: Unanimate Objec


It is Bungies fault if they had a specific part in the campaign that a TESTER couldn't figure out what the objective was.

They don't just pull random testers off the street. They have experience in playing and testing games and aspects. I would feel extremely uncomfortable if I was testing someones games and they were getting pissed at me because I didn't know what to do. If they were annoyed, sure, but the guy was full on sighing right behind him saying "nope, sorry buddy thats not what you do" or along those lines.

Im not hating on Bungie, I love them, but im just sayin'.




If the guy who was behind the tester was sighing and telling him that wasn't the way to go, I don't see how that's a big deal. Pulling out one man to represent a company isn't fair, especially if that one man was having problems with the tester.

If you could find footage or proof of the incident, it'd be greatly appreciated for A) Discussion value and B) My curiosity being satisfied.

  • 09.10.2012 3:03 PM PDT
  •  | 
  • Fabled Legendary Member

I understand nothing because my life is a conspiracy.

Activision/Awesomeness/Halo.

  • 09.10.2012 3:09 PM PDT

This little series called 'Halo'.

  • 09.10.2012 3:18 PM PDT

"There's a very fine line between not listening, and not caring. I'd like to think that I walk that line every day."

Because they're good at what they do, I'd suppose.

It's like Gregory House - he can be a dick, because he's [one of] the best diagnostician there is.

Adversely speaking, of course.

[Edited on 09.10.2012 3:23 PM PDT]

  • 09.10.2012 3:21 PM PDT


Posted by: talon2000
This little series called 'Halo'.
This along with a lot of talent, a determined work ethic, and a little bit of luck.

  • 09.10.2012 3:25 PM PDT

Posted by: EAGLES5
Watch the vidoc.
This.

But also, think about it, different companies operate on different concrete building blocks. No, I am not talking about their physical location, I am talking about what the company believes. Bungie is one of those rare companies that are more like your best friend than your distant cousin with the really cool job who sends you birthday cards.

  • 09.10.2012 3:27 PM PDT

Posted by: talon2000
This little series called 'Halo'.

This of course!

  • 09.10.2012 3:48 PM PDT
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If you love them so much why don't you marry them?

  • 09.10.2012 4:51 PM PDT

Xbox LIVE gamertag: Dat3lessNutella
Steam username: TopWargamer
To look up my Halo stats...search for the gamertag TopWargamer.
SAVED THREAD PAGES: 283
One does not simply get rid of TopWargamer so easily.
You know this to be true.
ALL HAIL GABEN


Posted by: EAGLES5
Watch the vidoc.

  • 09.10.2012 5:00 PM PDT
  • gamertag: J7XD
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[Old Account]

Proud bungie.net member since 2009.
>>[Intrepid Legendary member]<<


Posted by: dmg04
#dragons


Enough!

  • 09.10.2012 5:42 PM PDT

Come now, no one pays attention to these things.

This.

But also, think about it, different companies operate on different concrete building blocks. No, I am not talking about their physical location, I am talking about what the company believes. Bungie is one of those rare companies that are more like your best friend than your distant cousin with the really cool job who sends you birthday cards.

09.10.2012 3:27 PM PDT


Bungie is a rare sort of company. That's my point. How exactly did they originally land a solid deal with a publisher and rise to the position they are today?

  • 09.11.2012 11:08 AM PDT
  • gamertag: iBIind
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Whoo.

You think development of Halo was easy?

  • 09.11.2012 11:12 AM PDT


Posted by: MinersCat
Before I start, I want to stress that I am not trying to be a Bungie fanboy, but I can't promise anything. Read at your own risk!

Bungie are unlike most game developers. Their well-known laid back atmosphere at the workplace and their good humored nature and so on and so forth lead me to one question: how could Bungie afford to become what it is today?

In a market where risks are frowned upon by large name publishers and financiers, where companies tug at all the strings they can to extract more and more money from customers, or developers who, while developing great games, give by-the-book customer care, how could companies that generally care about their customers and put creative vision above the big dough (Bungie, Valve and Bethesda to a lesser extent) become so successful?

How did Bungie become Bungie?


Of course, we don't know how much Bungie has cut from their games to make them more marketable. Halo could have been radically different at its conception than the Halo we all know. We don't know how much was changed in the name of not taking risks.

Remember that everything we think we know about Bungie is given to us by marketing and publicity professionals. The photos, the tours, the interviews, everything is run through a whole bunch of people to ensure that it upholds a certain image.

Think about how a fast food burger looks in the ads, vs. how it looks in actuality. With Bungie, we never actually get to see the 'actuality' version. We just get the 'ad' version.

Now, I'm not trying to say that Bungie's publicity people are liars, or accuse them of anything. But it is important to remember that what we see is not the whole picture, and what we see is exactly what they want us to see. Every company does this.

  • 09.11.2012 1:07 PM PDT

@spawn031

"So much of what we do is ephemeral and quickly forgotten, even by ourselves, so it's gratifying to have something you have done linger in people's memories." John Williams

You can't buy awesome. You just are.

  • 09.11.2012 1:26 PM PDT

"I'm uncomfortable."
-True Underdog
Young Grasshopper of The Year: ChorrizoTapatio 2012

A little bit of sausage, a little bit of hot sauce, a whole lot of awesome. Have a question? Ask me!
Chapter


Posted by: spawn031
You can't buy awesome. You just are.

This. Bungie was founded by awesome people so I guess that's why they're so awesome still. Awesome, bro.

  • 09.11.2012 1:28 PM PDT

Join the Bungie Kids Podcast Group!

Listen to our podcast and listen to us talk about the latest Bungie news and Halo: Reach updates!

When I grow up, I want to be just like goofenhour.

A billion dollar IP helps.

  • 09.11.2012 1:31 PM PDT

1.) "Crack In Time" - Louder Production Music
2.) "Agressive Sucks" - Moss Landing
3.) Custom Version of "Meet Oscar" - Louder Productions Music
4.) "Behind You Rise" - Distortion Music
5.) "Aurora" - Mark Petrie
6.) "Surge Down - Audio Machine

Because they're a company of people who love doing what they do. And they're not mainly driven by money grubbing publishers *cough*EA*Cough*

  • 09.11.2012 1:36 PM PDT

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