Job listings point to Halo studio's Activision-published "next game universe" having "branching or nonlinear narrative," "worlds imbued with consequence," and long-term character investment.
Last Thursday, the game-industry's collective consciousness was coldcocked by the announcement that Activision had signed a 10-year publishing deal with Bungie. Specifically, the agreement gave the Call of Duty publisher exclusive rights to distribute games based on the Halo-maker's all-new property through 2020.
Few details were made available about the new game other than it would be an "action" title. Now, job listings on the official Bungie Web site have revealed its storyline will be more complex than the Halo series. The studio is currently hiring a writing lead to help craft its "next game universe" and is especially interested in scribes with "branching or nonlinear narrative experience."
Though Halo 3: ODST experimented with flashbacks, all Halo games have had a fairly linear storyline. The fact Bungie's next title will have a branching plot indicates it could be an action role-playing game along the lines of Mass Effect 2 or the original Deus Ex.
Another sign pointing toward an action RPG is the fact Bungie is also hiring a "Player Investment Designer" to create "worlds imbued with real value and consequence" and "give players long-term goals to invest them in the world and their character." Long-term character development and storylines that deliver consequences for a player's actions are hallmarks of role-playing games.
Unfortunately, during an interview with GameSpot last week, Bungie reps didn't elaborate on the game's story or subgenre. However, the studio has made it clear that the game will be available on "all platforms," meaning the developer is abandoning the Xbox exclusivity it has maintained since 2001. (The PC ports of Halo and Halo 2 were handled by other developers.) The last game Bungie developed for a PlayStation platform was 2000's Oni.
@DatWasEasy it cant be about halo. Microsoft owns all of halo so the halo universe is being handled by 343 industries. so Bungie doesnt have the right to make halo anymore. there with Activision now. i thinks theres not gonna be a classic halo ever again.
Well anyone who argues that Bungie is not good at making incredible narratives is pretty messed up in the head; if they ARE doing an action/rpg, then I'm all game. After all, it's not as if the other games they have doen have been sub-par in any way. Marathon is godly, and ONI was pure awesomeness.
"However, the studio has made it clear that the game will be available on "all platforms," " So... that means Wii will not be left out, right? :)
whatever bungie come up with there will be millions of gamers waiting with baited breath to see what materialises. bugie will develop a quality game and activision will spend big marketing and promoting it, this will be a huge cash generator for both companies. i hope we get something new and different something fresh and new, fingers crossed. p.s hope activision have learnt their lessons and don't p/off bungie staff too.
@Shadow_Fire41 what are you talking about? How did EA "mess" up Bioware. They are a member of EA partners and control their own developement cylces and games selection. Dragon Age was awesome and Mass Effect was perfect. The only thing I can see you being butt hurt over is them going crossplatform and if thats the problem.....GET OVER IT. Don't worry, slicedbread117, the contract that Bungie has signed with Activision only gives Activision publishing rights, they have no control or say over what they make, they just publish the games.
@shakensparco Ever heard of a game called Myth? Made by Bungie, and it's a RTS, not FPS. Very good game. :D
Action RPG and Bungie? this could be damn good, although slicedbread117 may be right and activision may **** them up like EA is Bioware.
Well let's see if Bungie is really capable of putting out a good non-first person game.
if activision ruins bungie i swear to god!!!!!!!!!! anyway looking forward to their next game cuz halo is the greatest series ever :)
@monkeysmoke MW2 has sold a little under 10 million units in less than a year. I dont have exact numbers, but Halo 3 sold 8 million within a few months of its launch too. Yes, Halo 3 probably sold more than MW2 360 versions, but in the end, MW2 has sold more copies, which is what Bungie and Activision are going to want.
theres no point to keep playing MW2 because its pointless after a while and its just not rewarding to play a game that takes almost no skill. i can see why kids like it because its easy to play and its crazy popular however anyone whos a real gamer like myself would get bored with it after a while. infinity ward had the biggest media release ever yet they never released a beta for MW2 which tells you there not dedicated as developers as bungie. believe me bungie isnt going to get screwed over they have a much better contract than infinity ward and im sure they made a clause where they have freedom to do what they want with the games they make while activision takes there cut because there the ones publishing the game. remember infinity ward has been with activision for a long time and it was partly there fault for not trying to make changes over the years when it came to there relationship with activision. you cant just blame one side it takes two to tango. sorry for the rant and yes i know some of it was my feelings about MW2 being overrated however it is.
i hate to say this but some of you are straight stupid. first of all bungie is a much better developer than infinity ward was or will ever be. MW2 was just like every COD game and at least each halo sequel was an improvement in one way or the other with the exception of ODST. halo wars doesnt count because it was a whole different genre of game. second bungie got the deal infinity ward wanted to get so why should there be a problem. lastly bungie developes games dont you think they know whats going on in the gaming industry? bungie knows what happen with infinity ward so im sure they made sure that the same thing couldnt happen to them. infinity ward what a joke they make FPS games that ANYONE including little kids could do well at. why do you see so many kids playing MW2 including my 12 year old brother in law. its all the kids at school talk about when it comes to games. hopefully now infinity ward can make a game that takes skill to play. lets face the whole point of MW2 is care packages which what? forces you to camp. sorry if you get over 5 kills youve started camping. does anyone online actually play as a team in team deathmatch or just run around just shooting people? wheres the ranking system? you ranke up even if you do terrible which means you get a lot of people just Fing around.
@jameslee1997 Oh yeah i think so. Bungie should've even gone for EA instead.But Why go multiplate when already successful in a particular platform ? Multiplates dont sell good like exclusives this days because of fanbase expessialy xbox fanbase does realy good in patronizing =mass effect series,gears of war series & halo series
@MakeHate Activision wont be able to promote bungie's game like microsoft did. I bet you bungie's new ip wont sell close to half the halo 3 sold.It is fact. killzone 2 looked better & was more expensive than halo 3 but sold worse than (halo 3 odst) which was because of lack of promotion & commercials from sony.Even though halo games are not the best looking games Microsoft made it acceptable to audience by promoting the game extensively :TV commercials,xbox 360 halo bundles,action figures,halo books & comics e.t.c. Am not realy against bungie's decision but it just that i love those guys so much & i dont want them to make a game that will sell bad & flop.Well 243 studio will continue with halo series but i dont expect any thing from them this gen but i sense talent in them because they are also aiding bungie in reach.good luck bungie.
my whole life I just play 2 bungie game ... Halo and Halo 2 ... and their past RTS that I forgot ... thats all ... I don't expect much
@monkeysmoke Bungie doesnt really need MS anymore. They have the money of Activision and all they have to do is slap "From the creators of Halo" and it will sell millions.
Too bad for bungie now they will lose the full support of micro$oft.Halo games sell well not because of bungie's talent alone but because of the huge financial aid of micro$oft. No ps3 game nor multiplat game posseses the kind of commercials that halo games potray,imagine howmuch the live action trailers would cost then think how it will cost to put more than 2 minute trailer on tv broadcast all just for the beta. I always taught bungie were smatter than these,why leave for multiplate when they already made huge success on the xbox 360.Any ip from bungie will sell well if its marked xbox exclusive.
New IPs are great and i think there aren't enough of them. But Bungie, hows that new Marathon game coming along?
Coming to the PS3 is great news for me. Hope Bungie continues to improve their game design and will look forward to the unveiling of their new venture.
@Joshua250: I never found Halo that enjoyable, to be honest, but it's all a matter of opinion, in the end. And I agree, I'm very excited to see all of the new I.P.s
that will fail, they should stay with fps and make a game similar to halo with multiplayer
Guys, you do realize the deal between Bungie and Activision is merely that Activision will simply publish their games? That does not imply that Activision will have control. Admittedly, I liked the first Halo better than the others, but I still give props to Bungie for making a best seller. Can you blame for wanting to try a new IP? with a new subgenre? Don't cry foul and say it is a ME2 remake until AFTER it comes out.
Similiar to Deus Ex? ...Perk... Going to keep an eye on this. If a company can get it right -- that mix of FPS/RPG/Stealth game with a lot of side activity (like map exploration the old games offered), it might be an interesting franchise. Graphics sell, it's the gameplay that keep the fans. EDIT: Activision? NW2 and WoW? Ah, nevermind.
Hey I know, Mass Effect 2 sold great, why not copy that, huh Bungee? Did you guys ever have an original thought? Ever?
Mass Effect 2 is the highest rated game of the year so far. Mass Effect 2 is an Action RPG kind of game. With that in mind, it is no surprise that Bungie wants to try and realize their potential in this genre.
@Flat_Spectre I'd imagine the same, they certainly seem not opposed to moving on. I'm definitely looking forward to what they can accomplish outside of FPSs with their current experience.
How about another Oni game for PC/PS3? That would be a great way for Bungie to make a big splash in the RPG world......... Though it said next game Universe........... So if it's a new IP thats even better.
I'm skeptical but pass no judgement on a game I have not got my hands on yet.I'm hoping for the best.
bungie as an rpg game now that going to be interesting to play to see if they have any business making an rpg
@Spartan1017 Microsoft was trying to make it sound like Bungie was doing it. But Bungie was just overseeing another internal team at Microsoft Game Studios called Hired Gun, who handled the port. Will correct--thanks for the callout.
As long as it's not another shooter that's mainly multiplayer oriented and requires you to shoot someone 30 times to kill him than I'll probably like it.
As long as its not another First Person Shooter with a throw in 4 hour single player campaign and the meat of the game being multiplayer, I'll be interested at least. Otherwise, I couldn't care less.
Just don't copy MASS EFFECT and I will be fine......Yeah obviously Mass Effect is so great that probably any action RPG you think of has some ideas from the Bioware's epic games and especially Mass Effect........
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