Bungie Studios is set to become an independent company, according to this press release issued by Microsoft today.  As you may or may not know, Bungie became a part of Microsoft Game Studios back in 2000.  They went on to create that Halo series that there has been so much hooplah about.

“Our collaboration with Bungie has resulted in ‘Halo’ becoming an enduring mainstream hit,” said Shane Kim, corporate vice president of Microsoft Game Studios. “While we are supporting Bungie’s desire to return to its independent roots, we will continue to invest in our ‘Halo’ entertainment property with Bungie and other partners, such as Peter Jackson, on a new interactive series set in the ‘Halo’ universe. We look forward to great success with Bungie as our long-term relationship continues to evolve through ‘Halo’-related titles and new IP created by Bungie.”

“This exciting evolution of our relationship with Microsoft will enable us to expand both creatively and organizationally in our mission to create world-class games,” said Harold Ryan, studio head for Bungie. “We will continue to develop with our primary focus on Microsoft^® platforms; we greatly value our mutually prosperous relationship with our publisher, Microsoft Game Studios; and we look forward to continuing that affiliation through ‘Halo’ and beyond.”

Even though the Halo movie is supposedly dead, it’s interesting to see Peter Jackson’s name still being thrown around.  And is that new interactive series the forthcoming Halo Wars, or something entirely different?

Related posts:

Bungie Responds to Halo 2 Leak
Halo 3 Announced At E3
Microsoft sued for alleged Halo patent infringement
Microsoft sees first profit in gaming since 2005
Halo 2 Anniversary Special

Hope you like that post!

Forever Geek is a resource for all things geek. You can stay tuned by having the latest FG news delivered to you for free via RSS.