Bungie Software
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Bungie, Inc. is an American
video game company The video game industry encompasses the development, marketing, and monetization of video games. The industry encompasses dozens of job disciplines and thousands of jobs worldwide. The video game industry has grown from niches to mainstream. , ...
based in Bellevue, Washington. It is a studio owned by
Sony Interactive Entertainment Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE), formerly known as Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE), is a multinational video game industry, video game and digital entertainment company wholly owned by multinational conglomerate Sony. The SIE Group is ma ...
. The company was established in May 1991 by
Alex Seropian Alexander Seropian (born 1969) is an American video game developer, one of the initial founders and later president of Bungie, the developer of the ''Marathon'', ''Myth'', and ''Halo'' video game series. Seropian became interested in computer pro ...
, who later brought in programmer Jason Jones after publishing Jones' game '' Minotaur: The Labyrinths of Crete''. Originally based in
Chicago, Illinois (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...
, the company concentrated on Macintosh games during its early years and created two successful video game franchises called ''
Marathon The marathon is a long-distance foot race with a distance of , usually run as a road race, but the distance can be covered on trail routes. The marathon can be completed by running or with a run/walk strategy. There are also wheelchair div ...
'' and ''
Myth Myth is a folklore genre consisting of Narrative, narratives that play a fundamental role in a society, such as foundational tales or Origin myth, origin myths. Since "myth" is widely used to imply that a story is not Objectivity (philosophy), ...
''. An offshoot studio, Bungie West, produced ''
Oni An is a kind of ''yōkai'', demon, orc, ogre, or troll in Japanese folklore. Oni are mostly known for their fierce and evil nature manifested in their propensity for murder and cannibalism. Notwithstanding their evil reputation, oni possess i ...
'', published in 2001 and owned by Take-Two Interactive, which held a 19.9% ownership stake at the time.
Microsoft Microsoft Corporation is an American multinational technology corporation producing computer software, consumer electronics, personal computers, and related services headquartered at the Microsoft Redmond campus located in Redmond, Washing ...
acquired Bungie in 2000, and its project '' Halo: Combat Evolved'' was repurposed as a
launch title This list includes terms used in video games and the video game industry, as well as slang used by players. 0–9 A ...
for Microsoft's
Xbox Xbox is a video gaming brand created and owned by Microsoft. The brand consists of five video game consoles, as well as applications (games), streaming services, an online service by the name of Xbox network, and the development arm by the na ...
console. ''Halo'' became the Xbox's " killer app", selling millions of copies and spawning the ''Halo'' franchise. On October 5, 2007, Bungie announced that it had split from Microsoft and become a privately held independent company, Bungie
LLC A limited liability company (LLC for short) is the US-specific form of a private limited company. It is a business structure that can combine the pass-through taxation of a partnership or sole proprietorship with the limited liability of a ...
, while Microsoft retained ownership of the ''Halo'' franchise
intellectual property Intellectual property (IP) is a category of property that includes intangible creations of the human intellect. There are many types of intellectual property, and some countries recognize more than others. The best-known types are patents, cop ...
. It signed a ten-year publishing deal with Activision in April 2010. Their first project was the 2014 first-person shooter, '' Destiny'', which was followed by '' Destiny 2'' in 2017. In January 2019, Bungie announced it was ending this partnership, and would take over publishing for ''Destiny''.
Sony Interactive Entertainment Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE), formerly known as Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE), is a multinational video game industry, video game and digital entertainment company wholly owned by multinational conglomerate Sony. The SIE Group is ma ...
completed its acquisition of Bungie in July 2022, with Bungie remaining as an independent and multi-platform studio and publisher. Among Bungie's side projects is
Bungie.net Bungie, Inc. is an American video game company based in Bellevue, Washington. It is a studio owned by Sony Interactive Entertainment. The company was established in May 1991 by Alex Seropian, who later brought in programmer Jason Jones after ...
, the company's website, which includes company information, forums, and statistics-tracking and integration with many of its games. Bungie.net serves as the platform from which Bungie sells company-related merchandise out of the Bungie Store and runs other projects, including Bungie Aerospace, a charitable organization called The Bungie Foundation, a
podcast A podcast is a program made available in digital format for download over the Internet. For example, an episodic series of digital audio or video files that a user can download to a personal device to listen to at a time of their choosing ...
, and online publications about game topics. The company is known for its informal and dedicated workplace culture.


History


Background and founding (1990–1993)

In the early 1990s,
Alex Seropian Alexander Seropian (born 1969) is an American video game developer, one of the initial founders and later president of Bungie, the developer of the ''Marathon'', ''Myth'', and ''Halo'' video game series. Seropian became interested in computer pro ...
was pursuing a mathematics degree at the
University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, U of C, or UChi) is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its main campus is located in Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood. The University of Chicago is consistently ranked among the b ...
, as the university did not offer undergraduate degrees in computer science. Living at home shortly before graduation, his father's wishes for him to get a job convinced Seropian to start his own game company instead. Seropian's first video game was a '' Pong''
clone Clone or Clones or Cloning or Cloned or The Clone may refer to: Places * Clones, County Fermanagh * Clones, County Monaghan, a town in Ireland Biology * Clone (B-cell), a lymphocyte clone, the massive presence of which may indicate a pathologi ...
, written and released nearly 20 years after the original, called ''Gnop!'' (''Pong'' spelled backwards). The game was created in 1990, almost a year before Bungie's official
incorporation Incorporation may refer to: * Incorporation (business), the creation of a corporation * Incorporation of a place, creation of municipal corporation such as a city or county * Incorporation (academic), awarding a degree based on the student having ...
, but was released under the Bungie name and is considered by Bungie as its first game. Seropian released ''Gnop!'' free of charge, but sold the
source code In computing, source code, or simply code, is any collection of code, with or without comments, written using a human-readable programming language, usually as plain text. The source code of a program is specially designed to facilitate the wo ...
for the game for US$15. ''Gnop!'' was later included in several compilations of early Bungie games, including the '' Marathon Trilogy Box Set'' and the ''Mac Action Sack''. Seropian officially founded Bungie Software Products Corporation in May 1991 to publish '' Operation: Desert Storm''. Seropian culled funding from friends and family, assembling the game boxes and writing the disks himself. ''Operation: Desert Storm'' sold 2,500 copies, and Seropian looked for another game to publish. Seropian met programmer Jason Jones in an artificial intelligence course at the University of Chicago. Jones was a longtime programmer who was porting a game he wrote, called ''Minotaur'', from an
Apple II The Apple II (stylized as ) is an 8-bit home computer and one of the world's first highly successful mass-produced microcomputer products. It was designed primarily by Steve Wozniak; Jerry Manock developed the design of Apple II's foam-m ...
to the
Macintosh The Mac (known as Macintosh until 1999) is a family of personal computers designed and marketed by Apple Inc., Apple Inc. Macs are known for their ease of use and minimalist designs, and are popular among students, creative professionals, and ...
platform. Jones recalled, "I didn't really know
lex Lex or LEX may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Lex'', a daily featured column in the ''Financial Times'' Games * Lex, the mascot of the word-forming puzzle video game ''Bookworm'' * Lex, the protagonist of the word-forming puzzle video ga ...
in the class. I think he actually thought I was a dick because I had a fancy computer". Seropian and Jones partnered to release the
role-playing video game A role-playing video game (commonly referred to as simply a role-playing game or RPG, as well as a computer role-playing game or CRPG) is a video game genre where the player controls the actions of a character (or several party members) immers ...
as '' Minotaur: The Labyrinths of Crete'' in 1992; while Jones finished the coding, Seropian handled design and publicity. The game relied on then-uncommon internet modems and
AppleTalk AppleTalk is a discontinued proprietary suite of networking protocols developed by Apple Computer for their Macintosh computers. AppleTalk includes a number of features that allow local area networks to be connected with no prior setup or the n ...
connections for play and sold around 2,500 copies, and developed a devoted following. Both Seropian and Jones are considered co-founders of Bungie. The team focused on the Macintosh platform, not
Windows Windows is a group of several proprietary graphical operating system families developed and marketed by Microsoft. Each family caters to a certain sector of the computing industry. For example, Windows NT for consumers, Windows Server for serv ...
-based personal computers, because the Mac market was more open and Jones had been raised on the platform. While Jones was responsible for many of the creative and technical aspects, Seropian was a businessman and marketer. "What I liked about eropianwas that he never wasted any money", Jones recalled. With no money to hire other personnel, the two assembled ''Minotaur'' boxes by hand in Seropian's apartment. While the pair remained low on funds—Seropian's wife was largely supporting him—the modest success of ''Minotaur'' gave the duo enough money to develop another project. Inspired by the
shooter game Shooter video games or shooters are a subgenre of action video games where the focus is almost entirely on the defeat of the character's enemies using the weapons given to the player. Usually these weapons are firearms or some other long-range ...
'' Wolfenstein 3D'', Jones wrote a 3D game engine for the Mac. Bungie's next game was intended to be a 3D port of ''Minotaur'', but Jones and Seropian found that ''Minotaur''s top-down perspective gameplay did not translate well to the 3D perspective, and did not want to rely on modems. Instead, they developed a new storyline for the
first-person shooter First-person shooter (FPS) is a sub-genre of shooter video games centered on gun and other weapon-based combat in a first-person perspective, with the player experiencing the action through the eyes of the protagonist and controlling the pl ...
that became '' Pathways into Darkness'', released in 1993. Jones did the coding, with his friend Colin Brent creating the game's art. The game was a critical and commercial success, winning awards including Inside Mac Games' "Adventure Game of the Year" and ''Macworld''s "Best Role-Playing Game". ''Pathways'' beat sales expectations and became Bungie's first commercial success. Bungie moved from a one-bedroom apartment to a studio in Chicago's South Side on South Halsted Street; Seropian and Jones's first full-time employee, Doug Zartman, joined in May 1994 to provide support for ''Pathways'', but became Bungie's public relations person, honing Bungie's often sophomoric sense of humor and irreverence. Bungie composer
Martin O'Donnell Martin O'Donnell (born May 1, 1955) is an American composer known for his work on video game developer Bungie's series, such as '' Myth'', ''Oni'', ''Halo'', and ''Destiny''. O'Donnell collaborated with his musical colleague Michael Salvatori ...
remembered that the studio's location, a former girls' school next to a
crack house A drug house (also called a trap house or drug den) is a residence used in the illegal drug trade. Drug houses shelter drug users and provide a place for drug dealers to supply them. Drug houses can also be used as laboratories to synthesize ( ...
, "smelled like a
frat house North American fraternity and sorority housing refers largely to the houses or housing areas in which fraternity and sorority members live and work together. In addition to serving as housing, fraternity and sorority housing may also serve to ...
after a really long weekend" and reminded staff of a locale from the '' Silent Hill'' horror video games.


''Marathon'', ''Myth'' and ''Oni'' (1994–2001)

Bungie's next project began as a sequel to '' Pathways into Darkness'', but evolved into a futuristic
first-person shooter First-person shooter (FPS) is a sub-genre of shooter video games centered on gun and other weapon-based combat in a first-person perspective, with the player experiencing the action through the eyes of the protagonist and controlling the pl ...
called ''
Marathon The marathon is a long-distance foot race with a distance of , usually run as a road race, but the distance can be covered on trail routes. The marathon can be completed by running or with a run/walk strategy. There are also wheelchair div ...
''. It introduced the rocket jumping mechanic to gamers (then known as "grenade hopping") and was the first control system where players could use the mouse to look up and down as well as pan side-to-side. ''Pathways'' had taught Bungie the importance of story in a game, and ''Marathon'' featured computer terminals where players could choose to learn more about the game's fiction. The studio became what one employee termed "your stereotypical vision of a small computer-game company—eating a lot of pizza, drinking a lot of Coke" while the development team worked 14 hours every day for nearly six months. After showing the game at the Macworld Expo, Bungie was mobbed with interest and orders for the game. The game was not finished until December 14, 1994; Jones and a few other employees spent a day at a warehouse assembling boxes so that some of the orders could be filled before Christmas. The game was a critical and commercial success, and is regarded as a relatively unknown but important part of gaming history. It served as the Mac alternative to DOS PC-only games like ''
Doom Doom is another name for damnation. Doom may also refer to: People * Doom (professional wrestling), the tag team of Ron Simmons and Butch Reed * Daniel Doom (born 1934), Belgian cyclist * Debbie Doom (born 1963), American softball pitcher * L ...
'' and ''
System Shock ''System Shock'' is a 1994 first-person action-adventure video game developed by LookingGlass Technologies and published by Origin Systems. It was directed by Doug Church with Warren Spector serving as producer. The game is set aboard a space s ...
''. The game's volume of orders was unprecedented for the studio, who found that its old method of mail or phone orders could not scale to the demand and hired another company to handle the tens of thousands of orders. ''Marathon'' also brought Bungie attention from press outside the small Mac gaming market. The first game's success led to a sequel, '' Marathon 2: Durandal''. The series introduced several elements, including cooperative mode, which made their way to later Bungie games. The game was released November 24, 1995, and outsold its predecessor. When Bungie announced its intention to port the game to the
Windows 95 Windows 95 is a consumer-oriented operating system developed by Microsoft as part of its Windows 9x family of operating systems. The first operating system in the 9x family, it is the successor to Windows 3.1x, and was released to manufacturin ...
operating system, however, many Mac players felt betrayed, and Bungie received a flood of negative mail. Seropian saw the value of moving into new markets and partnering with larger supply chains, although he lamented the difficult terms and "sucky" contracts distributors provided. The game released on Windows 95 in September 1996. ''
Marathon Infinity ''Marathon Infinity'' is a first-person shooter video game, the third in the science fiction ''Marathon Trilogy'' by Bungie. The game was released on October 15, 1996 and included more levels than its predecessor '' Marathon 2: Durandal''. These w ...
'' was released the following year. After ''Marathon'', Bungie moved away from first-person shooters to release a strategy game, '' Myth: The Fallen Lords''. The game stressed tactical unit management as opposed to the resource gathering model of other combat strategy titles. The ''Myth'' games won several awards and spawned a large and active online community. ''Myth: The Fallen Lords'' was the first Bungie game to be released simultaneously for both Mac and Windows platforms. The success of ''Myth'' enabled Bungie to change Chicago offices and establish a
San Jose, California San Jose, officially San José (; ; ), is a major city in the U.S. state of California that is the cultural, financial, and political center of Silicon Valley and largest city in Northern California by both population and area. With a 2020 popul ...
based branch of the studio, Bungie West, in 1997. Bungie West's first and only game would be ''
Oni An is a kind of ''yōkai'', demon, orc, ogre, or troll in Japanese folklore. Oni are mostly known for their fierce and evil nature manifested in their propensity for murder and cannibalism. Notwithstanding their evil reputation, oni possess i ...
'', an action title for the Mac, PC and
PlayStation 2 The PlayStation 2 (PS2) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on 4 March 2000, in North America on 26 October 2000, in Europe on 24 November 2000, and in Australia on 3 ...
.


''Halo'' and buyout (2001–2007)

In 1999, Bungie announced its next product, '' Halo: Combat Evolved'', originally intended to be a
third-person shooter Third-person shooter (TPS) is a subgenre of 3D shooter games in which the gameplay consists primarily of shooting. It is closely related to first-person shooters, but with the player character visible on-screen during play. While 2D shoot 'em ...
game for Windows and
Macintosh The Mac (known as Macintosh until 1999) is a family of personal computers designed and marketed by Apple Inc., Apple Inc. Macs are known for their ease of use and minimalist designs, and are popular among students, creative professionals, and ...
. ''Halo''s public unveiling occurred at the Macworld Expo 1999 keynote address by Apple's then-interim-CEO
Steve Jobs Steven Paul Jobs (February 24, 1955 – October 5, 2011) was an American entrepreneur, industrial designer, media proprietor, and investor. He was the co-founder, chairman, and CEO of Apple; the chairman and majority shareholder of Pixar; a ...
(after a closed-door screening at E3 in 1999). On June 19, 2000, on the ninth anniversary of Bungie's founding,
Microsoft Microsoft Corporation is an American multinational technology corporation producing computer software, consumer electronics, personal computers, and related services headquartered at the Microsoft Redmond campus located in Redmond, Washing ...
announced that it had acquired Bungie and that Bungie would become a part of the Microsoft Game Division. ''Halo'' would be developed as an exclusive
first-person shooter First-person shooter (FPS) is a sub-genre of shooter video games centered on gun and other weapon-based combat in a first-person perspective, with the player experiencing the action through the eyes of the protagonist and controlling the pl ...
title for the Xbox. The reasons for Bungie accepting Microsoft's offer were varied. Jones stated that "I don't remember the details exactly, it was all a blur. We'd been talking to people for years and years—before we even published ''Marathon'', Activision made a serious offer. But the chance to work on Xbox—the chance to work with a company that took the games seriously. Before that we worried that we'd get bought by someone who just wanted Mac ports or didn't have a clue". Martin O'Donnell, who had joined Bungie as an employee ten days before the merger was announced, remembers that the stability of the Xbox as a development platform was not the only benefit. Shortly before ''Myth II''s release, it was discovered versions of the game could erase a player's hard drive; the glitch led to a massive recall of the games right before they shipped, which cost Bungie nearly one million dollars. O'Donnell stated in a Bungie podcast that this recall created some financial uncertainty, although accepting the offer was not something Bungie "had to do". Seropian and Jones had refused to accept Microsoft's offer until the entire studio agreed to the buyout. As a result of the buyout, the rights to ''Myth'' and ''Oni'' were transferred to Take-Two Interactive (which at the time owned 19.9% of the studio) as part of the three-way deal between Microsoft, Bungie and Take-Two Interactive; most of the original ''Oni'' developers were able to continue working on ''Oni'' until its release in 2001. ''Halo: Combat Evolved'', meanwhile, went on to become a critically acclaimed hit, selling more than 6.5 million copies, and becoming the Xbox's flagship franchise. ''Halo''s success led to Bungie creating two sequels. '' Halo 2'' was released on November 9, 2004, making more than $125 million on release day and setting a record in the entertainment industry. '' Halo 3'' was released on September 25, 2007, and surpassed ''Halo 2''s records, making $170 million in its first twenty-four hours of release.


Independent company (2007–2022)

On October 1, 2007,
Microsoft Microsoft Corporation is an American multinational technology corporation producing computer software, consumer electronics, personal computers, and related services headquartered at the Microsoft Redmond campus located in Redmond, Washing ...
and Bungie announced that Bungie was splitting off from its parent and becoming a privately held
limited liability company A limited liability company (LLC for short) is the US-specific form of a private limited company. It is a business structure that can combine the pass-through taxation of a partnership or sole proprietorship with the limited liability of a ...
named Bungie, LLC. As outlined in a deal between the two, Microsoft would retain a minority stake and continue to partner with Bungie on publishing and marketing both '' Halo'' and future projects, with the ''Halo'' intellectual property belonging to Microsoft. While Bungie planned on revealing a new game at E3 2008, Bungie studio head Harold Ryan announced that the unveiling was canceled. Almost three months later, Bungie announced that the new game was a prequel and expansion to ''Halo 3'' titled ''Halo 3: Recon''. The next month, Bungie changed the game's title from ''Halo 3: Recon'' to '' Halo 3: ODST''. At E3 2009, Bungie and Microsoft revealed the company was developing another ''Halo''-related game, '' Halo: Reach'', for release in 2010. ''Reach'' was the last game in the ''Halo'' franchise to be developed by Bungie. Bungie continued expanding, though it did not commit to details about new projects and ship dates. The company grew from roughly 120 employees in May 2008 to 165 in June 2009, outgrowing the studio Microsoft developed. Ryan helped redesign a former multiplex movie theater in Bellevue into new Bungie offices, with replacing the the company occupied previously. In April 2010, Bungie announced that it was entering into a 10-year publishing agreement with publisher Activision Blizzard. Under Bungie's agreement with Activision, new
intellectual property Intellectual property (IP) is a category of property that includes intangible creations of the human intellect. There are many types of intellectual property, and some countries recognize more than others. The best-known types are patents, cop ...
developed by Bungie will be owned by Bungie, not Activision, in a deal similar to the
Electronic Arts Electronic Arts Inc. (EA) is an American video game company headquartered in Redwood City, California. Founded in May 1982 by Apple employee Trip Hawkins, the company was a pioneer of the early home computer game industry and promoted the d ...
Partners Program. On June 30, 2011, Bungie announced the "Bungie Aerospace" project; its slogan, "''Per audacia ad astra''", translates to "Boldly to the stars". The project is intended to provide independent game developers with publishing, resources, and support, including access to the Bungie.net platform. In November 2011, Bungie Aerospace published its first game, ''Crimson: Steam Pirates'', for
iOS iOS (formerly iPhone OS) is a mobile operating system created and developed by Apple Inc. exclusively for its hardware. It is the operating system that powers many of the company's mobile devices, including the iPhone; the term also includes ...
, developed by startup video game developer
Harebrained Schemes Harebrained Schemes, LLC is an American video game developer based in Seattle, Washington. It was co-founded in 2011 by Jordan Weisman and Mitch Gitelman. Prior to founding Harebrained Schemes, Weisman and Gitelman worked together on the '' MechC ...
. In addition to publishing and distributing ''Crimson'', Bungie Aerospace provided players with statistical support and a dedicated discussion forum on Bungie.net. In 2013, Bungie announced '' Destiny'', which launched for the
PlayStation 3 The PlayStation 3 (PS3) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment, Sony Computer Entertainment. The successor to the PlayStation 2, it is part of the PlayStation brand of consoles. It was first released on Novemb ...
,
PlayStation 4 The PlayStation 4 (PS4) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Announced as the successor to the PlayStation 3 in February 2013, it was launched on November 15, 2013, in North America, November 29, 2013 in ...
,
Xbox 360 The Xbox 360 is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. As the successor to the original Xbox, it is the second console in the Xbox series. It competed with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation ...
, and
Xbox One The Xbox One is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. Announced in May 2013, it is the successor to Xbox 360 and the third base console in the Xbox series of video game consoles. It was first released in North America, parts of ...
platforms on September 9, 2014. During January 2016, Ryan stepped down as president and Pete Parsons, who had been the company's chief operating officer and executive producer since 2002, became its chief executive officer. Chinese video game conglomerate
NetEase NetEase, Inc. () is a Chinese Internet technology company providing online services centered on content, community, communications, and commerce. The company was founded in 1997 by Ding Lei. NetEase develops and operates online PC and mobile game ...
had invested $100 million into Bungie in 2018, in exchange for a minority stake in the company and a seat on the company's board of directors. Bungie terminated its publishing deal with Activision in 2019, after eight years; as per their agreement, Bungie retained all rights to ''Destiny'' and will self-publish future installments and expansions. This included transitioning ''Destiny 2'' from using Activision's Battle.net to
Steam Steam is a substance containing water in the gas phase, and sometimes also an aerosol of liquid water droplets, or air. This may occur due to evaporation or due to boiling, where heat is applied until water reaches the enthalpy of vaporization ...
. Bungie's communications director David Dague dispelled ideas that Activision was a "prohibitive overlord" that limited Bungie's creative control, and instead stated that both companies amicably split due to different ideas of where the ''Destiny'' franchise should head. Bungie announced a major expansion of its firm in February 2021. In addition to more than doubling its headquarters space in Bellevue, Washington, Bungie announced plans to open a new studio in
Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...
by 2022. This would support additional staff not only for ''Destiny'' but additional media related to ''Destiny'' outside of video games, as well as a new
intellectual property Intellectual property (IP) is a category of property that includes intangible creations of the human intellect. There are many types of intellectual property, and some countries recognize more than others. The best-known types are patents, cop ...
unrelated to ''Destiny'' that Bungie expects to release by 2025.


Acquisition by Sony Interactive Entertainment (2022–present)

On January 31, 2022,
Sony Interactive Entertainment Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE), formerly known as Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE), is a multinational video game industry, video game and digital entertainment company wholly owned by multinational conglomerate Sony. The SIE Group is ma ...
announced its intent to acquire Bungie for $3.6 billion. While Bungie would become part of the PlayStation family of studios it would remain an independent subsidiary under Sony in development and publishing and would not be part of PlayStation Studios. Instead, Sony's investment would help Bungie with hiring for developers to expand their work on the ''Destiny'' franchise and other planned games. Both companies stated that the deal would not affect platform availability or exclusivity for ''Destiny 2'' but instead was geared towards media beyond video games that Bungie had been interested in pursuing for some time. Bungie, in return, would help Sony enter the live service games market, as Sony had announced plans to launch at least ten such games by 2026 in an investors' presentation following the Bungie acquisition announcement. Sony also said the Bungie acquisition will help Sony to become more multiplatform. Of the $3.6 billion, Sony anticipated that at least $1.2 billion will be used as incentives for retention of Bungie's current employees. In May, it was reported that the
Federal Trade Commission The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is an independent agency of the United States government whose principal mission is the enforcement of civil (non-criminal) antitrust law and the promotion of consumer protection. The FTC shares jurisdiction ov ...
is opening an inquiry into the acquisition, requesting more information about it a week prior. It is expected to delay the acquisition by at least six months. The acquisition was closed by July 15, 2022, making Bungie a subsidiary under Sony Interactive Entertainment.


Bungie.net

Bungie.net serves as the main portal for interaction between company staff and the community surrounding Bungie's games. When Bungie was bought by Microsoft, the site was seen as in competition with Microsoft's own Xbox.com site, but community management eventually won out as the bigger concern. The site has been redesigned several times. During Bungie's involvement with the ''Halo'' franchise, the site recorded statistics for each game played. This information included statistics on each player in the game, and a map of the game level showing where kills occurred, called "heatmaps". On January 31, 2012, Bungie announced that, as of March 31, 2012, Bungie.net would no longer update ''Halo'' game statistics and ''Halo'' player service records, host new user-generated ''Halo'' content, or operate ''Halo''s "Bungie Pro" service. Bungie's cessation of these services on March 31 completed the transition process of all data for ''Halo'' games being managed by
343 Industries 343 Industries is an American video game developer located in Redmond, Washington, part of Xbox Game Studios. Headed by Pierre Hintze, the studio is responsible for the ''Halo'' series of military science fiction games, originally created and ...
. Bungie.net records player's statistics for their game franchise ''Destiny''. In addition to the collection of data and the management of ''Destiny'' player's accounts, the website serves as a form of communication between Bungie and the community. While Bungie had long provided places for fans to congregate and talk about games, as well as releasing new information and screenshots over Bungie.net, it historically had made less effort and been less successful at providing access to the inside workings of Bungie and its staff. As part of a move to become more familiar with fans, Bungie recruited recognized and respected voices from the fan community, including writers Luke Smith, Eric Osborne, and others. Bungie also has an iOS and Google Play application that allows provides news, inventory management, and group finding for their game ''Destiny'' on the go.


Culture

Martin O'Donnell described Bungie's workplace culture as "a slightly irreverent attitude, and not corporate, bureaucratic or business-focused"; artist Shi Kai Wang noted that when he walked into Bungie for an interview, "I realized that I was the one who was over-dressed, ndI knew this was the place I wanted to work". Bungie's content manager and podcast host, Frank O'Connor, comically noted that at a
GameStop GameStop Corp. is an American video game, consumer electronics, and gaming merchandise retailer. The company is headquartered in Grapevine, Texas (a suburb of Dallas), and is the largest video game retailer worldwide. , the company operates 4,5 ...
conference, the Bungie team was told to wear business casual, to which O'Connor replied "We ungiedon't do business casual". This informal, creative culture was one of the reasons Microsoft was interested in acquiring Bungie, although game designer
Jordan Weisman Jordan Weisman is an American game designer, author, and serial entrepreneur who has founded five game design companies, each in a different game genre and segment of the industry. Biography Weisman graduated from Francis W. Parker High School, ...
said that Microsoft came close to destroying the company's development culture, as it had with the now-defunct
FASA Studio FASA Studio (formerly FASA Interactive Technologies Inc.) was an American video game developer that was founded in 1994 in Chicago, Illinois by the tabletop game company FASA Corporation. In 1996, FASA Interactive and Virtual World Entertainmen ...
. Studio head Harold Ryan emphasized that even when Bungie was bought by Microsoft, the team was still independent:
One of the first things icrosofttried after acquiring Bungie, after first attempting to fully assimilate them, was to move Bungie into a standard Microsoft building with the rest of the game group. But unlike the rest of the teams they'd brought in previously, Bungie didn't move into Microsoft corporate offices – we tore all of the walls out of that section of the building and sat in a big open environment. Luckily Alex and Jason eropian and Jones, Bungie's founderswere pretty steadfast at the time about staying somewhat separate and isolated.
In 2007, Microsoft eventually moved the studio to
Kirkland, Washington Kirkland is a city in King County, Washington, United States. A suburb east of Seattle, its population was 92,175 in the 2020 U.S. census which made it the sixth largest city in the county and the twelfth largest in the state. The city's downto ...
, where it reincorporated as Bungie, Inc. Despite the move, financial analyst Roger Ehrenberg declared the Bungie-Microsoft marriage "doomed to fail" due to these fundamental differences. Bungie also pointed out that it was tired of new
intellectual property Intellectual property (IP) is a category of property that includes intangible creations of the human intellect. There are many types of intellectual property, and some countries recognize more than others. The best-known types are patents, cop ...
being cast aside to work on the ''Halo'' franchise. '' Edge'' described the typical Bungie employee as "simultaneously irreverent and passionately loyal; fiercely self-critical; full of excitement at the company's achievements, no matter how obscure; ndrecruited from its devoted fanbase". The Bungie workplace is highly informal, with new and old staff willing to challenge each other on topics, such as fundamental game elements. Staff are able to publicly criticize their own games and each other. Fostering studio cooperation and competition, Bungie holds events such as the "Bungie Pentathlon", in which staff square off in teams playing games such as ''Halo'', '' Pictionary'', '' Dance Dance Revolution'', and ''
Rock Band A rock band or pop band is a small musical ensemble that performs rock music, pop music, or a related genre. A four-piece band is the most common configuration in rock and pop music. In the early years, the configuration was typically two guita ...
''. Bungie also faced off against professional
eSports Esports, short for electronic sports, is a form of competition using video games. Esports often takes the form of organized, multiplayer video game competitions, particularly between professional players, individually or as teams. Although orga ...
teams and other game studios in ''Halo'' during " Humpdays", with the results of the multiplayer matches being posted on Bungie.net. Bungie's staff and fans, known as the "Seventh Column", have banded together for charity and other causes. After
Hurricane Katrina Hurricane Katrina was a destructive Category 5 Atlantic hurricane that caused over 1,800 fatalities and $125 billion in damage in late August 2005, especially in the city of New Orleans and the surrounding areas. It was at the time the cost ...
, Bungie was one of several game companies to announce its intention to help those affected by the hurricane, with Bungie donating the proceeds of special T-shirts to the
American Red Cross The American Red Cross (ARC), also known as the American National Red Cross, is a non-profit humanitarian organization that provides emergency assistance, disaster relief, and disaster preparedness education in the United States. It is the desi ...
; after the
2010 Haiti earthquake A disaster, catastrophic Moment magnitude scale, magnitude 7.0 Mw earthquake struck Haiti at 16:53 local time (21:53 UTC) on Tuesday, 12 January 2010. The epicenter was near the town of Léogâne, Ouest (department), Ouest department, a ...
, Bungie sold "Be a Hero" T-shirts and donated money to the Red Cross for every ''Halo 3'' or ''ODST'' player on Xbox Live who wore a special heart-shaped emblem. Other charity work Bungie has done included auctioning off a painting of "Mister Chief" by O'Connor, a ''Halo 2'' soda machine from Bungie's offices, and collaborating with Child's Play auctions. In 2011, Bungie formed a
nonprofit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...
, named Bungie Foundation. In December 2021, ''
IGN ''IGN'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa distri ...
'' reported from interviews with 26 former and current employees that there had been past and some current issues with a male-dominated work culture and crunch time that was discriminatory towards female employees since around 2011, but the company more recently had been working to improve these issues, previously parting ways with the majority of people mentioned in the article. Parsons wrote a response about Bungie's commitment to improve the workplace culture, which had aligned with statements from more recent employees that had spoken to ''IGN''. Parsons apologized to any employee who "ever experienced anything less than a safe, fair, and professional working environment at Bungie", and stated of several efforts that the company was making to eliminate any type of "rockstar" attitude that may exist at the studio.


Games developed


Related companies

Many of Bungie's employees have left the company to form their own studios.
Double Aught Double Aught was a software company founded by several former members of the Bungie team (prior to Bungie's acquisition by Microsoft). Founding the company was Greg Kirkpatrick, Chris Geisel, Jihan Kim, Randy Reddig, Colin Kawakami and David Lo ...
was a short-lived company composed of several former Bungie team members, founded by Greg Kirkpatrick. Seropian left to form
Wideload Games Wideload Games was an American video game developer located in Chicago, Illinois. It was founded in 2003 by Alexander Seropian—the co-founder of Bungie and head behind the games '' Halo: Combat Evolved'', ''Myth'', and ''Marathon''—and six ...
, developer of ''
Stubbs the Zombie in Rebel Without a Pulse ''Stubbs the Zombie in Rebel Without a Pulse'' is a reverse horror video game developed by Wideload Games and published by Aspyr Media. It was released on October 18, 2005, for the Xbox video game console, and was released for Microsoft Windows ...
'', and later co-founded
Industrial Toys Industrial Toys was an American developer/publisher of mobile games headquartered in Pasadena, California. It produced mobile games for core gamers and released its first title, '' Midnight Star'', in early 2015. In July 2018, Electronic Arts ac ...
. Other companies include Giant Bite, founded by Hamilton Chu (producer on ''Halo'' and ''Oni'') and Michael Evans (project lead on ''Oni''), and
Certain Affinity Certain Affinity is an American video game development studio based in Austin, Texas. It was founded in 2006 by Max Hoberman and a small number of other ex-Bungie employees and other industry veterans. History Certain Affinity's creation was a ...
, founded by Max Hoberman (the multiplayer design lead for ''Halo 2'' and ''Halo 3''). Certain Affinity's team included former Bungie employees David Bowman and Chad Armstrong (who later returned to Bungie). The studio collaborated with Bungie in releasing the last two downloadable maps for ''Halo 2'' and the downloadable Defiant Map Pack for ''Halo: Reach''.
343 Industries 343 Industries is an American video game developer located in Redmond, Washington, part of Xbox Game Studios. Headed by Pierre Hintze, the studio is responsible for the ''Halo'' series of military science fiction games, originally created and ...
, a game studio formed by
Microsoft Microsoft Corporation is an American multinational technology corporation producing computer software, consumer electronics, personal computers, and related services headquartered at the Microsoft Redmond campus located in Redmond, Washing ...
to manage the ''Halo'' series following the launch of ''Halo: Reach,'' also includes a few former Bungie employees, including Frank O'Connor. In 2015, long-time Bungie employee
Martin O'Donnell Martin O'Donnell (born May 1, 1955) is an American composer known for his work on video game developer Bungie's series, such as '' Myth'', ''Oni'', ''Halo'', and ''Destiny''. O'Donnell collaborated with his musical colleague Michael Salvatori ...
started a new game studio known as Highwire Games. In 2016, former Bungie CEO and studio head Harold Ryan founded a new game studio known as ProbablyMonsters.


References


External links

* {{Good article 1991 establishments in Illinois 2000 mergers and acquisitions Companies based in Bellevue, Washington American companies established in 1991 Video game companies established in 1991 Video game companies of the United States Video game development companies Former Microsoft subsidiaries Sony Interactive Entertainment 2022 mergers and acquisitions