Bungie's Halo team moving to other projects after Recon
by Ross Miller 
{ Oct 20th 2008 at 12:55PM }
Granted, there's a lot of time between now and the Fall 2009 Halo 3 Recon release, so Bungie will be knee-deep in Halo for another year, at least. Provided none of Bungie's other teams tackle the space-loop saga, Microsoft has already assembled a new dream team to keep Halo alive.
[Update: Reworded some of the article to eliminate confusion between Bungie as a whole and the specifically mentioned Halo 3 Recon team.]
Gallery: Halo 3: ODST Controller & Pack Shots
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Jtenma @ Oct 20th 2008 1:04PM
They must be soooo "tired" of doing this...
But hey, who hates money right?
Haggard @ Oct 20th 2008 1:49PM
I'm guessing aside from the initial contract, most of the people at Bungie just get salaries that aren't likely to change much. So while the executives might love the income of Halo games, the people who actually code them might not see much of it *and* be sick of doing them.
J.Goodwin @ Oct 20th 2008 3:10PM
Given that in a lot of companies, these artists and scripters would have been given pink slips at the end of Halo 3, I'm willing to be that they're quite happy to have had something to work on for two years between Halo 3 shipping and Recon shipping.
Then they get to move to a new project and continue to work for the current employer. Sounds like paradise to me. Then again, I'm unemployed right now, so almost anything that involves showing up to work and getting paid to do something interesting sounds good.
Just Mr ESC. @ Oct 20th 2008 1:04PM
So there aren't going to be games based on the books? Bummer.
Well I guess is back to Marathon,Rite?
waves @ Oct 20th 2008 1:11PM
I'd love to see another Myth game, but it wouldn't work well on a console. So baring that, I'd like to see a 3rd person action/adventure game.
Either way I want to see a non-FPS Bungie game next. Is that asking too much?
Just Mr ESC. @ Oct 20th 2008 1:24PM
Pimps at sea FTW?
Tiptup300 @ Oct 20th 2008 2:14PM
Another company could make em. I'd rather a much grittier squad based game. I'm not sure if Bungie would do it right. Don't get me wrong, I love Bungie and they can make an fps, but each person has their pros and their cons.
jimmygotsmack @ Oct 20th 2008 1:06PM
So what is Recon anyway, an expansion viva DLC, or is it a stand alone game?
Just Mr ESC. @ Oct 20th 2008 1:07PM
It seems is a stand alone game.
At first I thought it was an expansion.
Jtenma @ Oct 20th 2008 1:07PM
Apparently, it is a stand-alone expansion...
/LOL
jimmygotsmack @ Oct 20th 2008 1:10PM
So you don't need the Halo 3 cd, right?
Glen @ Oct 20th 2008 1:10PM
It' pretty much exactly like Crysis Warhead.
Haggard @ Oct 20th 2008 1:50PM
Except you can play it on your 360 more than 3 times.
Coldbrand @ Oct 20th 2008 1:06PM
Fuck Marathon! Bring back Myth!
Titanium_Orchid @ Oct 20th 2008 7:38PM
Damn yer' eyes!
waves @ Oct 20th 2008 1:08PM
Yay!
I'm a big fan of Bungie's, and the Halo series has been fun, but it's time to move on. Both from Halo and from Microsoft.
DEEZNUTZ @ Oct 20th 2008 1:09PM
Bungie: "Recon is our final Halo project..."
"...until MS pays us a gazillion dollars to produce Halo 4 or Halo Zero for the 720".
Money always trumps passion/desire for a new project.
waves @ Oct 20th 2008 1:13PM
Would MS really lose that many sales if they paid a different developer a lot less money to make Halo 4?
Jakka @ Oct 20th 2008 1:23PM
Yep, I'd like to have somebody else tackle Halo for a change.It worked with CoD.
The-E @ Oct 20th 2008 1:36PM
It worked with COD?? ¬_¬...you do realise they swapped for COD3 as in Call of Duty 3!!!!
baby sea tuna @ Oct 20th 2008 1:37PM
Did it work for CoD? The only non-Infinity Ward CoD I ever played was 3, and it was mediocre at best.
Jakka @ Oct 20th 2008 4:36PM
Which is why when CoD4 came out, you guys were so pissed with CoD3, 4 seemed like a Second Gaming of Jesus, despite being a 100% reskin of CoD2.
That's their tactic.Make a decent game that seems crap in comparison to IW CoD so when good IW CoD comes out it will seem even better!
Envoy @ Oct 20th 2008 1:14PM
::cough::BS::cough::
Deprincer @ Oct 20th 2008 1:18PM
I'd like to see bungie make an action/adventure platformer!
on3nightstan @ Oct 20th 2008 1:21PM
oni 2 perhaps? *prays*
Maverick Saturn @ Oct 20th 2008 1:33PM
Bungie = Halo and nothing else as of now, so I can see the logic in this, this is a healthy business move for Bungie, they can't rely on one title if they expect to remain independant and make it in this gaming world with even small devs spitting out 3 or four titles a year.
Silicon Siren @ Oct 20th 2008 1:59PM
I guess no one listened when Bungie said a while ago that Halo 3 would be the final Halo game. Any and all games featuring Master Chief and the "Halo" universe from now on won't be called Halo, all the ring worlds have been destroyed.
theturtle363 @ Oct 20th 2008 3:28PM
uh, no, Installation 04 and it's replacement were destroyed. All the other ones are still intact, and The Ark suffered some damage but not catastrophic
AnEternalEnigma @ Oct 20th 2008 2:16PM
I'll believe it when I see it. Didn't they say they were moving on when they bought their studio back from Microsoft? They already lied about that one. It seems lying is all Bungie is good at anymore.
Dr. Stabbingworth @ Oct 20th 2008 3:39PM
Bungie is one of the best developers in terms of communication. Just because they don't always show their cards to the unwashed fanboy masses doesn't mean they are liars. I'm sure they are working on non-Halo projects, which would constitute moving on.
And the last thing they need is criticism from whiny kids on the internet. Since when did they start letting middle school kids use the computer during the day?
VicViper09 @ Oct 20th 2008 7:59PM
Uh, since like the dawn of the 21st century, this isnt the stone ages melon farmer. what are you living under a rock?
Joel @ Oct 20th 2008 2:03PM
Even if Bungie isn't working on another halo, I still believe whatever they are working on will remain exclusive to the 360. Hoping it is something kick ass and refreshing!
sk8monroe81 @ Oct 20th 2008 3:38PM
the worst move bungie could do is leave ms behind...
i think its more about ms leaving bungie behind and not wanting to pay them high amounts of money to produce something THEY believe others can for a much lower price as they own the rights and probably the code too.
theturtle363 @ Oct 20th 2008 3:17PM
is the MGS4 guy working on recon or something else? The Halo Chronicles thing?
sk8monroe81 @ Oct 20th 2008 3:36PM
what exactly is bungie without the millions of dollars MS game studios have given them to make these games???
and we already know that ms gave halo 4 rights to another company right? to be released on the next xbox console.
bungie without a publisher and financier = not much more than a lot of code.....
Dr. Stabbingworth @ Oct 20th 2008 3:51PM
O RLY
It's not like they made any games before Halo...
But let's see what you've made since you're such the critic. Post some links to your work and we'll see exactly what you've done.
sk8monroe81 @ Oct 20th 2008 5:34PM
yes dr.- bungie did not make any games before MS...
well they did sorry they made 3 games for the mac- marathon, myth, and oni- 3 titles we all remember. lol..
bungie was acquired by MS in 2000 before the release of Halo 1.
bungie is nothing to us (xbox 360 fans) without MS.
sorry dr.
dr. stab i am not a game maker... lol...
i do hold a valid california state contractors license though. and i also hold certifications in 2 specialized emergency resoration services and i do own my own company. thank you though...
sk8monroe81 @ Oct 20th 2008 5:38PM
and dr. i did not critic their work.
all i said is that work is not much without marketing and millions of dollars spent of financing and publishing the game.
bungie making games on their own means they would still need a big publisher like activision or EA to pay for those needed items.
i would think that it would be in their best interest to stay behind MS and use ms game studios instead of another publisher.
sk8monroe81 @ Oct 20th 2008 6:08PM
dr. wouldnt you agree that working with the game studio that knows MORE about the 360 than any other company and has MORE money to use than any other company is the way to go....
no matter how much money EA throws out their window and spends on marketing they cant seem to get a game to sell more than a few million copies.
halo 3 is what 8 million sold...
Titanium_Orchid @ Oct 20th 2008 7:52PM
All the games Bungie made before Halo were very good, and well received by the gaming community. The reason they stopped creating unique IP's is because they were forced to make Halo for eight years be Microsoft.
Bungie left Microsoft because they wanted to be able to make whatever they wanted, without having to clear it with their overlords. Anything they produce from now on will most likely be met with enthusiasm from publishers, based on their past performance.
What do you mean Bungie is nothing to you without Microsoft? Bungie is one of the main reasons the 360 exists, and is as popular as it is today.
Titanium_Orchid @ Oct 20th 2008 7:53PM
supposed to be a reply to sk8monroe81
sk8monroe81 @ Oct 20th 2008 11:13PM
youre right they make great games and the 1 franchise that defined/s or at least is the flagship of the xbox/360.
if bungie makes good games in the future the gaming public and myself will probably be into those games...
i would just like to see if the work with other publishers or hire MS for those projects if they haven't already started some of them, but they are probably going to make multi platform games?
they werent forced to do anything. they sold their original company to merge with microsoft or whatever and that was their choice which paid off better than anytime in their 10 year history before that point.
anyways.. blah blah.
bungie and ms make and publish good games usually.