Bungie Studios, developers of the popular Halo franchise for Microsoft's Xbox and Windows platforms, has bought back its independence from the software giant.
Microsoft bought the
Chicago-based game studio in 2000, and will still retain an "equity interest" in the company (a smart move, should Bungie grow enough to go public or sell to another buyer in the future). Financial
details of the buy-back were not disclosed.
According to press releases and blog posts by both companies, Bungie Studios (now called Bungie, LLC) will continue to develop exclusive game content
for Microsoft and its Xbox 360 platform, but will operate from outside the software giant's umbrella.
This leaves the door open for the studio to make games for non-Microsoft consoles in the
future--although according to a statement by Brian Jarrard, franchising director at Bungie, Xbox 360 and Windows-based games will be their main focus.
With regards to games on other platforms
like PlayStation or Mac, Jarrard said: "Although we have no announcements to make at this time, we don't rule anything out going forward."
Halo 3 racked up $300 million sales globally during its
first week of availability, and is a staple of Microsoft's Xbox LIVE online gaming network--so the studio has a wide fan base combined with industry credibility.
"It's what needed to happen for
our studio, for people that had been here so long to be in control of our future and our [Intellectual Property] again," said Jarrard. "It helps us all get inspired again, and reinvigorated."