One of the biggest mysteries facing the video game-loving world today is what's next for Bungie. The "Halo" developer stepped away from the franchise that made them following the release of "Halo Reach" last year. They're now working on a top-secret project for Activision. Now, Twitter user supererogatory has discovered a handful of domain registrations and copyright filings that could point to whatever it is the developer is working on right now.
"Seven Seraphs," "Osiris," "New Monarchy" and "Dead Orbit" all belong to Bungie now. Supererogatory notes that the descriptions define these items as "artwork," though he goes on to say that "that description can encompass all sorts of promotional and marketing like logos." I would guess that the name of Bungie's next game isn't spelled out in any of these four phrases. If they have anything to do with the studio's ongoing work, they probably reference the universe in the same way that "Halo" sites like NobleActual and ILoveBees.com do.
Almost nothing is currently known about the fruits that the Bungie/Activision partnership is meant to bear. The studio signed with the publisher in the middle of last year that commits to a 10-year development deal in which Bungie will build new IP for multiple platforms. Rumors run rampant across the Internet, suggesting a cross-platform experience set in a persistent world, a la an MMORPG.
For now, "Seven Seraphs," "Osiris," "New Monarchy" and "Dead Orbit" are simply a collection of words. It would be like spotting copyrights for terms like "Forerunners," "Master Chief" and "Covenant" before anyone knew anything about "Halo." One day we'll all look back on this news and think, "So that's what the Seven Seraphs are!" For now though we'll just have to draw our own conclusions.
With that in mind... I don't know where to go from there. That's a good sign. "Halo" introduced an inventive sci-fi universe to the world. It was definitely a genre work, but it stands on its own merits. I'd like to think we can expect the same from whatever comes next for Bungie. If you've got any wild theories, please share them in the comments below.