Shocker: Bungie signs with Activision

Activision will have exclusive, worldwide rights to publish and distribute all future Bungie games based on their new intellectual property on multiple platforms and device. So 360 fans, you will have some company when it comes to future Bungie games. Bungie will also remain an independent company and will continue to own their own IP.

"We chose to partner with Activision on our next IP because of their global reach, multi-platform experience and marketing expertise,” said Harold Ryan, President of Bungie. “From working together over the past nine months on this agreement, it is clear that Activision supports our commitment to giving our fans the best possible gaming experiences.” Harold Ryan has always noted that the two companies have been working on the deal “over the past nine months”

“Bungie is one of the premier studios in our industry and we are extremely pleased to have the opportunity to work with their talented team over the next decade,” stated Thomas Tippl, Chief Operating Officer of Activision Blizzard. “Bungie has developed some of the most compelling and successful games, multiplayer experiences and thriving fan communities, and this alliance underscores our long-standing commitment to foster the industry's best creative talent. Our unprecedented partnership with Bungie will enable us to broaden our pipeline of exciting new games as we continue to strengthen our industry position and pursue long-term growth opportunities.”

My Take:

I'm not sure if this is really a bold move or an extremely risky one. On the business side of things, it's a great move for Bungie to reach out to more players besides just the 360 crowd. To be given the opportunity to make games for other platforms is huge for Bungie. But to sign with Activision is probably not the route I would have taken. Maybe it would have been better if they went with Electronic Arts? I guess we will never know. I am interested in what kind of games Bungie will have in store for us. Maybe Call of Duty: Marathon? Who knows. At least we know it will not be another Halo title.