Blizzard: We're Here If Bungie Needs Us

[Folio]

Ehm... ignore this post... it's broken.

 

[loremazd]

haha.

All Activision/Bizzard wants is a stake in the IP that Bungie owns.

Bungie doesn't own halo anymore I dont believe, Microsoft still has it.

 

[mad825]

haha.

All Activision/Bizzard wants is a stake in the IP that Bungie owns.

Bungie doesn't own halo anymore I dont believe, Microsoft still has it.

whenever did I say it was Halo? the current deal between Activision/Blizzard and Bungie says that Bungie will retain the rights to the game that they are making.

 

[SelectivelyEvil13]

Actually, Microsoft owns the Halo IP, so if they do make an MMO, it will have nothing to do with Halo. Besides, Bungie themselves said they're tired of Halo and want to do something new, so don't expect anything similar either. I really hope they don't make an MMO, everyone's just better off if they stick to FPS.

You took the words out of my (mind) because both points regarding Halo indicate it will be something different.

As for a Bungie MMO, you yet again share my sentiments because I would rather see a new and innovative game, FPS, TPS, RTS; anything that doesn't include the abbreviation for "Massive Multiplayer Online..."

Now, perhaps my memory is just playing tricks, but wasn't it just announced that Blizzard has their own secret MMO project in the works? Between WoW, the unknown Blizzard game, and the unknown Bungie game, that seems like MMO overkill on Activision's part. The only thing that would really accomplish is creating money vacuums that require mostly just expansion packs to update but otherwise stagnate as far as newly implemented creative changes (I would assume).

Activision would just love to have three games that can latch possibly three or more intermingling groups onto a MMO Subscription teat.

Well, there's nothing wrong with Halo...except that the entire series has been stuck on repeat since Day 1.
It's largely gotten shinier, rather than significantly better. At least the Unreal and Quake series dramatically improved on the technical efficiency and design space of their games; until Reach, the design space for Halos 1-3 (and ODST) might as well have been kept in a tiny box.

Combine that with the side effect that Halo had on the industry (everyone copied it to some degree; it made consoles more profitable than PC creating a point of favoritism that didn't exist before), and other promising avenues for the shooter were eliminated because they were deemed "risky" or "inferior".

Now, all of this makes perfect economic and business sense; don't get me wrong.
But there's something wrong with taking ALL the fun/risk out of making games just to replace it with souless profit machines.
Then again, the same can be said of music, movies, and TV. So what the hell do I know?

That is a good point because given the trend of general stagnation that you've pointed out regarding Halo, this could actually translate well to an MMO model. Instead of making a completely new IP with several games, make one MMO, maintain the basics, and upgrade with expansions.

The grave consequence of the business model is indeed the loss of fresh, creative spark that pushes games to entirely new levels in uncharted possibility.

 

[gnarf]

lol i like how bungie tries to say they're just as good as valve or nintendo

 

[Anton P. Nym]

lol i like how bungie tries to say they're just as good as valve or nintendo

Um... from the article...

"When we first started working on an MMO people right away pointed at our pedigree and said there's no way that Blizzard can make an MMO - they've never tried it before," Pardo said. "So clearly if we can do it, I'm sure a company like Bungie or Valve or Nintendo or any of those top tier developers are more than capable of doing it."

Pardo works at Blizzard, not Bungie. (No, it's not pedantry; it completely changes the context of the quote. It's always important to get the quote attributions straight.)

-- Steve

 

[Skizle]

my first thought about this was "a Valve Bungie game ? that would probably would create some kind of uber fanboi mutant subspecies of humanity or something :S"

Fixed.

And I'm really hoping its the other way around were Blizzard needs help Developing a certain FPS...

 

[JerrytheBullfrog]

Wow, Bobby Kotick really trying to sound like a nice guy and reach out to the consumers there.

Bobby Kotick = Rob Pardo?

Uh, what?

 

[bak00777]

a bungie/blizzard mmo? very interesting

 

[Canid117]

A bungie MMO? News to me... Halo I presume? Hmm that could be pretty cool Covenant vs. Human (Alliance vs. Horde) with the good 'ol WoW style bosses? That would make me a very happy fanboy of both companys

Bungie is no longer doing Halo games they have said this several times and even if they wanted to Microsoft holds the rights.

Wow, Bobby Kotick really trying to sound like a nice guy and reach out to the consumers there.

Bobby Kotick = Rob Pardo?

Uh, what?

Too many people fail to realize that Kotick isn't the only exec at Activision Blizzard or that Blizzard is still very separate from Activision in a practical sense..

 

[Xanthious]

Man a Halo MMO would be awesome! I mean you could be a green space marine, or a red space marine or a blue one or maybe a yellow . . . .

 

[amucha98]

.

 

[steveredd]

they are however going to continue the story

 

[JUMBO PALACE]

Pardo seems like a nice guy. It's refreshing to see a game exec in the spotlight who isn't acting like an arrogant ass. Blizzard's policy towards other developers seems like a good thing to me. The games industry needs more friendly ties and joint efforts in my opinion.

 

[Brotherofwill]

How nice of Blizzard. I wonder how much Activision has to do with it or if the guy is really friends with the Halo staff. I can understand if they have a professional talk but would Blizzard really go further than that to help them? Not unless Kotick pulls on the leash I guess.

Combine that with the side effect that Halo had on the industry (everyone copied it to some degree; it made consoles more profitable than PC creating a point of favoritism that didn't exist before)

Whoa, whoa, whoa! Hold on a second there.

Ok, I know that Halo had a huge impact as the flagship title of a new, if slightly doomed new console, but saying that it's fully responsible for consoles getting more profitable than PCs is a stretch XD.

 

[Exort]

D'aaaw. Blizzard gets brownie points for publicly expressing willingness to erode their own market share.

nah it's all just part of the "we're good guys" act

funny thing is there is a very strong rumor in WoW circles that Blizzards secret new MMO franchise is a console based shooter MMO which is almost exactly what you'd expect Bungie to make...

I certain it is not the same project because Blizzard announce the new MMO project in 2007.
Did Bungie even shipped Halo: ODST back then? I don't think it is the same project.