Zoned In: Bungie Jumps to Activision

April 29, 2010

Bungie
Jumps to Activision
By Steven Hopper

What the recently revealed
partnership means for Activision, Bungie, and gamers.

Today, Activision and Bungie dropped
a bombshell of an announcement, revealing that the publisher and developer would
be teaming up for a new multiplatform IP. The 10-year deal is indeed a long
one, suggesting that both Activision and Bungie are in this for a big franchise
beyond a simple one-off title.

Those expecting to see Halo on other
consoles will be disappointed. The IP rights of the Halo franchise are still very
much owned by Microsoft, who is rightfully hell-bent on seeing their number-one
franchise stay on Microsoft’s consoles (and occasionally the PC), even if that
means Bungie won’t be the developer.

Sorry PS3 gamers, no Halo for you.

This announcement bodes especially
well for Activision, who have not been the most popular game publisher as of
late. The recent shakedown at Call of Duty creator Infinity Ward, resulting in
the firing of the studios’ co-founders Jason West and Vince Zampella, the
subsequent lawsuit, West and Zampella’s founding of a new development house, and
the departure of many key members of the Call of Duty team from Infinity Ward to
join the new developer (whew) has been a battle that Activision has had trouble
facing, as it puts the future of their most popular franchise in jeopardy (for a
more in-depth look, check out Stevie Smith’s
editorial piece from
last month). Needless to say, teaming up with one of the most popular
shooter developers in the world would be the boost in the arm that Activision
could use to bolster their catalog.

For Bungie, this is finally seeing
their separation from Microsoft come to fruition, allowing the developer to
forge their own multiplatform path. While the developer separated from Microsoft
nearly three years ago, the company has continued to develop games from its Halo
franchise exclusively for the publisher, including the yet-to-be-released Halo:
Reach. Their first foray outside of Microsoft’s systems is definitely a big move
for the beloved developer, and fan boys be damned, a multiplatform title will
only ensure that their games will get into the hands of more gamers, which is
definitely a wise move.

All in all, the winners in this
announcement will be gamers, particularly Bungie fans. Bungie knows how to turn
out a fantastic franchise, and Activision knows how to properly sell one. While
some might look to the shake up at Infinity Ward as a possibility that the uber-publisher
might cause some issues with the game’s development, hopefully Activision will
learn from their experience with that developer, consider Bungie’s track record,
and let the folks that turned the Master Chief into a household name do their
magic in peace.