First of all, read the official word on it. This stuff is over my head, and I don't want misinterpret it too much. Basically, Take Two Interactive (Nasdaq: TTWO) is to acquire 19.9% equity interest in Bungie, giving Take 2 distribution rights to Oni, Halo, and two other undisclosed projects (!), while Bungie retains their status as an independant developer.
Next Generation Online has posted an interview with Bungie's Nathan Bitner, a frequent poster on the Halo forums. Focussed on development, it's a great read--here's an excerpt:
MACWORLD EXPO, NEW YORK CITY--July 21, 1999--Today Bungie Software announces Halo, a game that shatters the confines of typical game environments. Halo is a third-person perspective, sci-fi action epic that takes place indoors, outdoors, in the sky and beneath the surface of a world of astonishing realism and visual impact. Halo was unveiled this morning in Steve Jobs' keynote address to the Macworld Expo.
Contact:
Doug Zartman
(312) 563-6200, x.23
doug@bungie.com
MARATHON TAKES TEXTURE MAPPING INTO SPACE
From Bungie Software, the makers of Pathways Into Darkness
Somewhere in the heavens...they are waiting.