Bungie not bothered by Activision's rep

By Wesley Yin-Poole Published 30 July, 2010

Doesn't matter who brings game to market.

Halo creator Bungie has dismissed concern that new publisher Activision's current negative reputation will impact upon its next game.

The US developer reckons it doesn't matter which publisher brings its super secret game to market.

"No, it doesn't concern us at all," community director Brian Jarrard told Eurogamer in a new interview.

"We've spoken quite a bit about this. Certainly it's not great the situation that it [Activision] is in.

"I don't know any more about it than anybody else does. We're game developers. We have a great plan. We're excited about our future and our new universe that we're going to bring to life.

"We have an awesome deal with those guys. Ultimately, I don't think it's going to matter who helps that game into the hands of gamers, other than we're happy to know Activision's got world-class publishing expertise across multiple platforms and they're going to be a great partner that's given us a great relationship and a great deal.

"So we're not too worried about it."

In April Activision and Bungie announced a mammoth 10-year publishing deal for the developer's next IP.

Under the terms of the agreement, Bungie retains the rights to whatever it's cooking.

The deal followed the high-profile sacking of Call of Duty creators Vince Zampella and Jason West, which sparked an outpouring of anger from gamers who felt Activision had unfairly treated Infinity Ward.

Gamers focused their attention on Activision CEO Bobby Kotick, a man Brutal Legend creator Tim Schafer likes very much.

Halo: Reach campaign designer Niles Sankey echoed Jarrard's comments.

"When we do look to the future, the nice thing about working at Bungie I'd say is unique to any of the jobs I've had in the industry is, the publishers know they can trust us.

"They know if they trust Bungie we will deliver a great game experience. We won't fail at that. That's earned us a lot of freedom to do what we feel is right.

"In the end I'm not worried at all. I'm sure the future's bright. I'll leave it at that."

Halo: Reach, Bungie's last Halo game, will release on 14th September. Johnny Minkley went hands-on and spilled his thoughts.

Picture of Wesley.

About Wesley Yin-Poole

Wesley is Eurogamer's news editor. He likes news, interviews, and more news. He also likes Street Fighter more than anyone can get him to shut up about it.

Read more articles from Wesley by visiting the Wesley Yin-Poole archive page.

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Comments (46) Latest comment 2 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • el_pollo_diablo #1 2 years ago

    / bookmarks this story for future reference

  • Dylbot #2 2 years ago

    You'll be bothered when they run whatever your new IP will be into the fucking ground and then drop you. Although, considering that they made Halo, they've already got plenty of experience with running an IP into the ground.

  • alcides #3 2 years ago

    Maybe Kotick won't be there for the next ten years anyway?

  • evilrobot #4 2 years ago

    Thats funny cus i'm not bothered about Bungie or jet pack wars or whatever it's called these days. Neg away people, neg away.

  • jag10 #5 2 years ago

    Activision




    Microsoft and Rare

  • alcides #6 2 years ago

    @evilrobot

    If you have something negative to say about Bungie and feel it's relevant, be our guest. But stating that you have no interest in the subject matter then trolling for negs ads no water to the mill :/

  • Velvetmeds #7 2 years ago

    well i dislike Bungie and i hate Activision...

    hmm. what could that mean

  • oceanmotion #8 2 years ago

    Bungie are pretty safe, they own the IP, Activision has publishing rights for the next 10 years on that IP. Neither side can mess with each other. Probably an MMO game.
    Edited by 1 at 30/07/10 @ 18:10

  • coolbritannia #9 2 years ago

    What is this, the comments thread that taste forgot? The level of retardation in here is strong. Bungie aren't dumb, they're at the top of their game, and I can't wait for whatever they make next. So neg away you imbeciles. Reach looks amazing.

  • Murton #10 2 years ago

    Sorry Bungie, but I think you'll find it matters quite a bit who takes your game to the shelves, don't forget that you've tried to escape Halo on several occasions only to be dragged back to it kicking and screaming by your publisher at the time, Microsoft. You'll suffer the same sort of "creative control" at Activision and if you don't believe me give West and Zampella a quick call and they'll put it into terms you can understand.

    At the end of the day publishers are the money men in this industry and the money always wins, there are very few studios left that can tell their publisher how it's going to be and Bungie certainly isn't one of them.

  • Markitron #11 2 years ago

    If that's really true then either they got a REALLY good deal or are total idiots

  • LR100 #12 2 years ago

    In a sense, he's right, it doesn't matter. MW2 map packs sold incredibly well, despite the inflated price and Acti-hate. There will always be customers for Activision published products, even the ones that have been squeezed dry. Still, we'll see what happens during this lengthy contract and whether he'll be eating those words or not.

  • Cheddar99 #13 2 years ago

    Very few (if any) other devs could get this kind of deal (full ownership and control of IP etc)l from a publishing behemoth like Activision. It's a shame that a developer has to be a huge multi million dollar company to have any say over their own products.

  • captain_Carl #14 2 years ago

    Wait a few years until they refuse to pay you :)

  • FuzzyDuck #15 2 years ago

    Well now, they're not gonna come out say "our new publisher's current reputation must make them total *****!", are they?!

  • Emmit_Assassin #16 2 years ago

    @el_pollo_diablo +1 Too True...

    One interesting thing about Bungie going multi platform is how a company who's used to coding 360 games will cope with multi-platforming.

  • Rack #17 2 years ago

    I wonder. I mean make something compelling enough and it doesn't matter but so far I've passed on half a dozen Activision games because they're Activision. It may seem like this is just an isolated example, you have to be pretty damn nerdy to do something like this, but I can't think of a second tier Activision game that hasn't performed horrifically. Perhaps Bungie are confident enough to remain top tier developers.

  • SalarymanDaishi #18 2 years ago

    Then again, Bungie is right. Activision's rep today is that of EA's of yesterday, i.e. the big bad wolf that is easy to blame until an even bigger jerk manifests itself. Just like EA handed the Grief Baton to Activision, they'll probably hand it over to someone else within a year or two.

    The only losers in this wonderful game of public hate are the smaller studios that keep on dying because no matter what happens, it's the big publishers and their big Hollywood games that become increasingly dominant simply because that's what sells. No harm in that and it's all business but rest assured, even the publisher that eventually saves gamers from Activision probably won't be any different than Activision that a few years back saved gamers from EA.

  • Dizzy #19 2 years ago

    Famous last words.

  • Phishfood #20 2 years ago

    The guy has to say this publically because afterall Kotick only answers to the shareholders and its bad for share prices to announce you hate your boss. This is also bad for Bungie to sour working relationships.

    I am sure underneath the surface they are taking precautions so that Kotick doesn't pull an Infinity Ward on them.

  • afghan_jones #21 2 years ago

    Bet that Bungie's 10 year new IP is the MMO subscription based web 2.0 shooter that Activision have been lusting after for so long.

  • tomjoadsghost #22 2 years ago

    I'm expecting a great game which doesn't sell too well (possibly because of the HALO shadow effect) and bungie to be shafted ruthlessly by activision.

    In this scenario the only winner is us, the ones who will pick up the game when its sub £20 and spend the rest of our lives on forums proclaiming the thing as a timeless classic and berating everyone who chose not to buy it.

  • Freek #23 2 years ago

    Lets not forget that Bungie has a publishing deal with Acticivision. That's where the involvement begins and ends: publishing.
    Bungie maintains ownership of the IP and stays an independent studio. That's probably why they're not worried, when ever Activission starts being weird there's a contract in place where Bungie gets to say "go fuck yourself".

  • gjgjg #24 2 years ago

    hehe honeymoon period

  • Shikasama #25 2 years ago

    Yeah, people at large really care deeply about Activision's reputation. That's why Modsern Warfare 2 barely sold.

    Oh but that was before West and Zampella you say! Go to the games section in Asda and ask everyone there who the two former chiefs of Infinity Ward are. Or who the new heads of Respawn are. Or which company makes COD.

    The hundreds of millions that Microsoft, Sony, Ea and Activision all make every year is conclusive proof that their deeds and reputations mean fuck all to consumerism, regardless of what you 'enlightened' individuals may decide.

  • xenoss #26 2 years ago

    @Shikasama

    What you said is true, but that's what makes it sad.

    Activision's reputation doesn't matter; why it recieved its reputation should matter though. They have some very bad, unethical business practices. Yet, people seem determined not to care. People shouldnt need to be "enlightened" to the gaming industry to know they're being mistreated. They don't need to see rant posts on the internet.

    They're supposed to have a mind of their own, to see that $15 for a few maps isn't right, for example. Yet they gladly pay.

    Same thing with 360: they're supposed to know that their system shouldn't break down so frequently, that it isn't supposed to be their fault when it happens; that paying for multiplayer is fine for server maintenance but $50 a year is way higher than is justified etc.

    Yet 360 is the most popular system in the west, and its fans defend it to death if you even attempt to say anything negative.

    It is sad.

    And now Bungie, even after what happened to IW so recently, chose Activision as a publisher. What sort of logic is that?

    A good thing Bungie has no talent. A lot of people will burn me alive for saying that, but I'm a PC gamer... we had better FPS's than Halo years before it came out. It was just another generic scifi shooter.

    So I'm interested in seeing how this situation will work out. Will it finally expose Bungie for what it is? Or had MS made Bungie so much bigger than life that it'll make billions for Activision? Will Acti burn Bungie the same way they did IW?

    Interesting times.

  • Jackface #27 2 years ago

    "What is this, the comments thread that taste forgot? The level of retardation in here is strong."

    After just 8 comments, one of which openly outs itself as a troll. Why do commenters just want to be ANGRY all the time?

  • Jackface #28 2 years ago

    "I - along with doubtlessly many others - will not buy any product published by Activision any more. "

    Thankfully, there's only a few hundred at most people like you (angry geeks) who care enough about what Activision have been doing to actually stop buying their games. Most normal people on the planet that play games don't even know what you're talking about. Activision couldn't care less what you think as you are a tiny, tiny portion of their customer-base, and are you forgetting, it's Bungie? Whatever they make will rocket to number one in the charts, whoever's publishing it.

    Negged for using common sense, brilliant! Comments twats.
    Edited by 1 at 02/08/10 @ 08:00

  • tomjoadsghost #29 2 years ago

    I suppose, to keep things in perspective, its worth remembering that microsofts reputation at the time of the original halo was pretty much comparable with activisions and bungie produced not only a hit but a system seller.

    bungie: chug evil.

  • IronCladChicken #30 2 years ago

    @Shikasama
    It just means core gamers are no longer relevent to games sales.

  • Shikasama #31 2 years ago

    IronCladChicken - and if thats true, there's nothing 'core' about them. Companies only care about their customers, if you don't buy their product, you aren't there customer.

    Activision is nowhere near the worst company on the planet. How many Activision boycotters drink Coka-Cola? That's a company responsible for the deaths of thousand of people. How many eat Nestle chocolate? Wear Nike shoes?

    I agree that companies need to be taught that there are repercussions for their actions, I really do, but I level the accusation of hypocrite to most of the people who are throwing their stack at Activision. They are by no means the worst company that you support.

  • Quak #32 2 years ago

    > "So we're not too worried about it."

    He can't really say anything else because he'd then look incompetent and would be asked "Well why the fuck did you sign the deal with them then?", as the IW business had kicked off a good week or so before this deal was made. I remember at the time the deal was announced, everyone here was like WTF? Doesn't this guy read the news?

  • Spekingur #33 2 years ago

    So Activision holds the publishing rights for that certain IP from Bungie for the next 10 years, right?
    Which means that Bungie could do other stuff and would not have to go through Activision for that.

    Unless they were foolish enough to sign up that Activision holds ALL publishing rights for future releases from Bungie.

  • EthanWoods #34 2 years ago

    If it was another Halo game then that would quite possibly be the case. The fact that it's a brand new IP means I'm forced to disagree with them.

  • Mchief22 #35 2 years ago

    Thats were their wrong, I refuse to buy any game published by Activision. If I really like the game then i'll just wait til it's available second hand, so they don't see any of the profits!

  • Lunastra78 #36 2 years ago

    Although I'm no Halo fan I'm interested in seeing what new ip Bungie is cooking up. But if this is part of Activision's ongoing "subscription" plan for games - count me out!

  • wayn3h #37 2 years ago

    'A good thing Bungie has no talent. A lot of people will burn me alive for saying that, but I'm a PC gamer... we had better FPS's than Halo years before it came out. It was just another generic scifi shooter. '

    I'm a PC gamer too and I thought Halo was a really good game. It wasn't revolutionary but did a few things really well. The 30 seconds of fun philosophy that Bungie applied to the AI really made it feel fresh.

    Anyway, I'm no rampant Bungie fanboy. If their next game is shit, I wont buy.

    ..and do you really think Bungie are talentless??

  • NimbusTLD #38 2 years ago

    Activision. The new EA.

  • Olemak #39 2 years ago

    One thing is Bungies track record, which makes them very attractive to publishers. But they also probably have enough money to fund the development of their next game themselves. So they're not going begging to publishers. They seriously just want someone to package and market their product. Not a lot of studios are in that position. Hope it works out well for them, and that they'll stay independent this time around.

    Pretty sure that Acti "secretly" wants them to run out of funds before the product is shipped and come begging for more money at some point. At which point Kotick & Co will gladly hand out a few million bucks in exchange for ownership of the IP. Just the way the business works. Hope it won't happen this time.

    Bungie must be pretty certain they'll produce another hit game. Hope it works out for them. And that the game will be multiplatform. The platform exlucivity deals are also usually a matter of funding, and very rarely a case of the developer actually prefering one platform over another (with Valve being a possible exception).

    Best of luck Bungies; you'll need it!

  • Goodfella #40 2 years ago

    Slightly above average developer and slightly above average games. The hype surrounding Bungie baffles me, how did it happen?

    Halo 1 really is nothing to speak of at all, is it all because it was the first half decent console FPS? That's my guess anyway, as said earlier in this thread there were PC shooters that were far better long before Halo came along.

  • Geordiemp #41 2 years ago

    Does it matter really ?

    If they do a good game, and its subscription based, you choose to buy it or not.

    Companys probably make game disks for £ 1 a disk, probably including packaging. They may spent a few milliion in making teh game, the rest is overhead.

    This is the important part - you sell what the market will bear. If they can get people paying £ 5 - £ 10 a month, and enough of them, they will do. If nobody buys in, or not enough, then they cant. No different to xbox live.

    Shareholders win or lose. I think they would have to do sometjing really special to better the many good console games we can get for £ 20 -£30 if you wait 3 months...
    Edited by 2 at 01/08/10 @ 22:05

  • Grayvern #42 2 years ago

    Yes I am of the minority that would think long and hard before purchasing anything acti but logically if the public dont know acti as a company they must have an equally loose connection between bungie as a company and halo.

    Furthermore if activision are handling marketing and decide they don't like what bungie is doing they can then kill whatever games bungie comes out with by removing the from the makers of halo logo and generally advertising bungies game(s) like they advertised singularity.

  • Jackface #43 2 years ago

    It's just hilarious that anyone genuinely thinks because Activision are publishing, the game won't do well because of the buying power of disgruntled geeks! The dent you will make by harbouring your grudge against the publisher will be so small as to be completely dwarfed by the buying power of the general public, who wouldn't know what you're talking about if you even asked them what Activision was.
    Edited by 1 at 02/08/10 @ 08:05

  • hiruu #44 2 years ago

    Bungie deal does seem to be very favorable to them, unlike the arrangement with nfinity Ward, which was just a division of Activision. Here's the thing of it, people love to hate M$, but look at how Activision and EA treated their WHOLLY OWNED developers, vice how M$ treats their's? M$ basically let Bungie go with a pound and a half of flesh, but in this case, I think Bungie has navigated the waters very carefully and like Insomniac and Respawn, it seems like developers are getting their mojo back from publishers.

  • SomaticSense #45 2 years ago

    @ Jackface

    That's exactly right. It won't make me go and and buy Acti games, but I admit my boycott will make little to no difference. Johnny and Wayne Chav will still go and buy MW3 in their droves and make it another retail record breaker.

    Disappointing, yes. But the gneral public who don't frequent forums or sites such as this simply don't know, nor would they even give a shit. I know plenty like this. I've lost count of the amount of times I'm asked why I've not got MW2.

  • evilrobot #46 2 years ago

    @ alcides
    Neither does your comment?