29th April 2010 - In a widely surprising move, Bungie have just signed a 10 year deal with Activision Blizzard, the worlds #1 online games publisher.
Both companies announced the signing today, and it seems the deal gives the rights of the next big Bungie gaming IP and the publishing rights to all their games over the next 10 years to the gaming behemoth that is Activision Blizzard. The deal reportedly gives Activision the rights to publish on multiple platforms on the market too, meaning that PS3 fans finally get a chance to experience the master creativity and design of a Bungie made game.
With Activision already under the spotlight from the ongoing lawsuits between two ex-Infinity Ward executives over unpaid royalties of the CoD franchise, this has brought added heat the moment by quickly riling up the gaming community, with comments that this may be the end of Bungie’s great game franchises and unique design, as Activision have an rumoured history of rushing developers to meet unfair deadlines.
But President of Bungie Studios, one Harold Ryan had this to say on the subject:
“We chose to partner with Activision on our next IP because of their global reach, multi-platform experience and marketing expertise. 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."
Whatever the case may be, many gamers aren’t happy about this. But given that Bungie actually remain their own independent company and have total control over their next IP, this may just be a great deal for both companies.
Will Bungie be bringing their next big thing to the global market on the Playstation 3 as well as the Xbox 360? How about the Wii, or even a handheld? Will this be the end of Bungie as we know them? Let us know what you think about this deal in our comments section below!
The official press release from Activision Blizzard can be found HERE.
Story by John Elliott