Rumor has it that Microsoft wants to acquire Bungie along with Destiny 2, but that would have become too expensive. Bungie’s CEO has now commented on this. We take a look at the relationships the Destiny developer and the software giant have had in the past and will have in the future.
This made headlines:
- On the evening of September 14, some magazines headlined that Microsoft planned to acquire Bungie, including Destiny 2, and that several talks had taken place between the companies.
- However, the developer studio was said to be too expensive – thus, no agreement was reached between the software giant and the Destiny developer.
These rumors first emerged from the GamesBeat podcast (via YouTube starting from 1:17:30) by Jeff Grubb. Shortly after, Eurogamer also reported on the potential acquisition, citing its own separate sources. In both instances, no sums are mentioned.
This is Bungie’s reaction: Bungie’s CEO Pete Parsons commented quite briefly on the matter: “That’s not true.”
This statement was made in response to a tweet from Twitter user Nibel, who spread the rumor of the acquisition and its repeated failure due to Bungie’s high price.
Parsons does not elaborate on what exactly is incorrect or untrue. It could be considered, among other things, that there were indeed talks, or that it fell through due to money.
Vanessa Vanasin, global communications manager at Bungie, commented more extensively on the rumors, but chose a different tone according to her position:
All the info and speculations are not true. We are happy to have such good relationships with our many friends over there [at Microsoft] who play Destiny. And Halo will always have a special place in our hearts.
Vanessa Vanasin via Twitter
David Dague, head of Bungie’s communication team better known as “Deej”, also responded to Nibel dryly via Twitter: “If you spread gossip about our company, please use our current logo.”
- What Deej says about working with the community and ponies, you can read here.
Do Bungie and Microsoft have an endless on/off relationship?
The rumor about the acquisition probably remains just that – a rumor. But why the topic might be quite conceivable is shown by the past and, in particular, the future connecting Destiny and Microsoft.
This is what the shared past looked like:
- In 2000, Microsoft acquired the independent developer Bungie
- With the Halo series, Bungie and Microsoft celebrated great successes together (Halo was considered a system seller and the most important title for the Xbox at that time)
- At the end of 2007, Bungie and Microsoft parted ways – since then, Bungie has been an independently run company, while the rights to Halo remained with Microsoft
- In summer 2020, Destiny 2 played an essential role in the Xbox Games Showcase
In 2010, Bungie made an amazing deal with Activision, which brought us Destiny 1 and 2. In 2019, the two companies parted ways, but this time Bungie retained all rights to the game franchise. It is said that the corks were popped when they became the sole masters of Destiny’s future.
What does the future of Bungie and Microsoft look like? In the near future, there are indeed strong touchpoints between the two:
- The major expansion Destiny 2: Beyond Light was postponed by about 2 months. The release date is now set for November 10, 2020. Recently, it was announced that on that very date, Microsoft’s next-gen console, the Xbox Series X, will be released.
- De facto, Destiny is thus a launch title for the new console and a Halo replacement. The original release of Halo: Infinite has been postponed to 2021 (as our colleagues at GameStar report).
- Additionally, it is known that Destiny 2 will be fully available in the Xbox Game Pass
With all these factors, it’s easy to assume that exploratory talks took place between Microsoft and Bungie. But according to the Destiny makers, there is nothing to it.
All the Guardians out there on PlayStation, Stadia, or Steam can now surely breathe a sigh of relief. Because fortunately, no exclusive deals are planned, and Destiny 2 has already shown its ideas for the coming years: Destiny 2 will continue for years as an MMO – beyond Light and plans until 2022
