The Xbox will be Microsoft's first foray into the console gaming market. It will be based around an Intel Pentium III processor with a custom set of graphics chips produced by nVidia, a slimmed-down version of Windows 2000, and 64MB of main memory shared with the graphics processors. It will have HDTV output capabilities and an ethernet port. More information is available at xbox.ign.com and planetxbox.com
It's still unclear exactly what all the events were leading up to the retraction of the announcement of Halo for MacOS and Windows and then the following reconfirmation of same. It's rumored that Apple CEO Steve Jobs had something to do with it, which is possible since Halo was first announced at MWNY 1999 by Jobs himself. It's likely he had some strong feelings about a game developer given so much attention at an Apple event subsequently being purchased by Microsoft and cancelling all Macintosh development.
What platforms Halo would eventually be released for was in a state of extreme doubt during the period between the announcement of Microsoft's buyout of Bungie and MWNY 2000. There were indications that although Microsoft was willing to let Bungie make all platform decisions, that the process of making the game the best it could be for the Xbox would be technically incompatible with developing versions for either Windows or the MacOS.
However, at MWNY 2000 Alex Seropian announced that Halo would still come to the Mac, and it was later confirmed for Windows as well.
Not all of them. In return for the 19.9% of Bungie owned by Take Two Interactive, that company received all rights to the Myth and Oni franchises. Take Two also received the rights to make two licensed games based on the Halo engine.
Microsoft owns the rights to all other games, including the Marathon series from which Halo is allegedly derived.
Bungie in the past may have capitalized on their position in the smaller Macintosh market to play themselves as the underdog, but business is business. Microsoft offered to make Bungie the premier developers on their new Xbox gaming console, with a large degree of influence over how that platform would develop. In addition to that, being part of Microsoft offers benefits in terms of resources and stability that Bungie would be unlikely to obtain independently.
No official purchase price was ever announced. However, as a publicly traded company, Microsoft must have revealed that number in documents filed with the SEC (Securities Exchange Commission) later that year.
If we can locate that document, we will post the actual figure here.
The rumored figure is between $40 and $50M.
Following the announcement, Bungie made available on its web site a letter to its fans, as well as their own FAQ on the buyout.
Those files are no longer available on the official Bungie site.
A search for microsoft at bungie.net shows the links to the two files, but those links are now dead.
When we find an alternative source for these original files, we will add them to this FAQ.
Yes, it's true.In the summer of 2000 it was announced that Microsoft would purchase the company formerly known as Bungie Software, Inc. and make it Bungie Studios, a part of Microsoft's gaming division under Ed Fries.
As part of the transaction, Take Two Interactive received all rights to the Myth and Oni franchises in return for the 19.9% of Bungie they had purchased in 1999. They also reportedly received the rights to produce two games using the Halo engine.
Matt sent this week's Halo update to Battleground:Halo. The only significant news is that the game is now at release candidate 2, and to flesh out the week, he threw in this screenshot of Cortana. Enjoy!
The Bungie Store is addressing issues that prevent completions from Macintosh computers and international orders. As a result, the store is temporarily closed. Bungie assures that when the new site goes live, these problems will be fixed and there will be new merchandise available.
In addition to this, anyone who registers for the new Bungie Store will have a chance to win a scupture of a Covenant Elite Trooper forged by Juan Ramirez. If this interests you, go sign up.
REDMOND, Wash. - June 19, 2000 - Microsoft Corp. today announced it acquired Chicago-based Bungie Software Products Corp., a leading independent developer of action oriented computer and video games. As a result of this acquisition, Microsoft gains exclusive publishing and distribution rights to select Bungie-developed titles, including the highly anticipated sci-fi action epic Halo.
This acquisition reflects our commitment to growing our business with a strong portfolio of quality games for the PC and Xbox platforms, said Ed Fries, vice president of games publishing at Microsoft. Bungie's highly talented team consistently delivers award-winning games, and we're looking forward to supporting their creative spirit here at Microsoft.
Bungie's development staff will become an independent development studio within the Microsoft Game Division, where it will retain its unique character and edgy personality. Microsoft expects the Bungie team to play a key role in the development of content for the Xbox platform, creating the kinds of innovative technology that have defined its character. The team will also continue developing titles such as Halo, a revolutionary action game recently nominated for four E3 Game Critics awards, including Best of Show.
This is an opportunity to combine the strength of two outstanding software companies: Bungie's talent for creating great games and Microsoft's strength in distribution, said Alexander Seropian, founder and CEO of Bungie Software Products. Microsoft will provide us with the resources and infrastructure we need to continue to build great games and make them available on a worldwide scale. We are also looking forward to helping define the Xbox platform, which may soon be the world's premier game console.
In a related announcement, Take-Two Interactive Software Inc., (Nasdaq TTWO ) current distributor of Bungie-developed titles, announced it acquired all right, title and interest to select Bungie game properties, including the popular Myth game franchise and the upcoming action game Oni, and has sold its 19.9 percent equity interest in Bungie to Microsoft. Ryan Brant, Chief Executive Officer of Take-Two, said, This acquisition is a positive for all involved. We have a tremendous amount of respect for Bungie's talents and the contributions it has made to the games industry, and we look forward to working with Microsoft to make Xbox a success.
Underscoring Microsoft's commitment to being a leading worldwide games developer and publisher, the acquisition of Bungie follows last year's successful acquisitions of FASA Interactive Technologies Inc. and Access Software Inc., both of which have resulted in the upcoming PC games MechWarrior(tm) 4: Vengeance, Crimson Skies(tm) and Links(tm) LS 2001, all due out later this year.
