Bungie Partners With Activision In 10-Year Deal News

When Bungie's Lars Bakken recently stated that the developer might do another Halo game 10 years down the line (after Halo: Reach), we didn't think he meant this:

Activision and Bungie have just announced an exclusive 10-year partnership to bring the studio's "next gaming universe and IP to the largest possible audience".

We can hardly keep up with the soap-opera that is Activision publishing these days. First it manages to let one of the world's most commercially successful FPS developers fall to pieces in front of its very eyes, and then it signs the world's other most commercially successful FPS developer to a 10-year deal. You just couldn't write it.

"We began discussions with Bungie about nine months ago," said Activision COO, Thomas Tippl, dispelling suggestions that the deal was symptomatic of a knee-jerk reaction to the rapidly dissolving Infinity Ward studio.

"This alliance allows Bungie to bring our next gaming universe and IP to the largest possible audience," added Harold Ryan, Bungie's President, offering confirmation that the developer won't be returning to any of its older game series as part of the deal.

This new IP will be published and distributed exclusively by Activision under the deal, and Bungie has already started hiring for the series. A job ad on the Bungie site for a Writing Lead makes reference to "Bungie's next game universe," and lists, "branching or non-linear narrative experience a plus," under job requirements.

Non-linear narrative would be something of a first for the Bungie team, which certainly indicates that this new Activision project is ambitious in its scope. "Today, we're poised to open a new chapter in Bungie's history-one that begins with a partnership between Bungie and Activision and ends where we always knew it would, with World Domination," Bungie stated on its blog. "Our Next Big Thing now has a concrete path, leading from our studio to the platforms of our choosing."

We're going to go ahead and embed initial B-roll footage of Thomas Tippl and Harold Ryan answering a few questions on the deal. If you listen very carefully, you might be able to make out Tippl saying "Kick EA's ass" to Ryan at the very start of the video feed. Or is it just us? Your thoughts in the comments...