Right after today publicly became Bungie Independence Day, I quickly dashed off a few questions to those "Halo"-makers.
And wouldn't you know, they answered them!
Are they working on any other systems? When will we hear about their first original projects? Will they make any more "Halo" games? And has Reggie given them a call yet?
Read on...
(Did they just give me a scoop about their first project post-independence?)
MTV Multiplayer: What was the impetus for the split from Microsoft? How long was this in the works? And what triggered it?
Frank O'Connor, Writing Lead, Bungie Studios: The impetus was Bungie’s desire for increased independence to create amazing new games and franchises. I think Microsoft recognized that it was in the best interests of Bungie and from their perspective, important to the growing success of the 360. If we're making cool games for the system, everybody wins.
MTV Multiplayer: The official statement informs gamers that Bungie will "primarily" focus on Microsoft platforms. What other platforms is Bungie considering? If you can't say, can you at least eliminate any? For instance, would we see Bungie on handhelds or not?
Frank O'Connor: Right now, none. It’s all 360 – from the downloadable "Halo 3" content to the Peter Jackson "Halo" project. Those are the big items on our docket at the moment. I can tell you confidently we are not playing with any new devkits.
MTV Multiplayer: How soon can gamers expect to see Bungie's first independent project? Can we assume it will be an FPS?
Frank O'Connor: Our first independent project as a developer will be DLC published by our partner, Microsoft. So yeah, it will kind of be an FPS. As for our first original IP after "Halo 3"? We’ll keep you informed.
MTV Multiplayer: Should fans expect any major future Halo-universe games to be developed by Bungie?
Frank O'Connor: There are a lot of stories still to tell, so it’s not outwith [sic] the bounds of possibility. If we think of something cool to do in the "Halo" universe, we’ll certainly consider making it.
MTV Multiplayer: Have you guys gotten calls from Nintendo and Sony yet? How about Peter Moore? Maybe he wants Bungie to make a sports game.
Frank O'Connor: Not yet. If they send us gift baskets we’ll just eat all the candy.
There you have it. How does it strike you, "Halo" fans, Bungie fans and 360 owners?
For more from Bungie, check out interviews the team did today with Kotaku and GamesIndustry.biz.
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