Microsoft: “It’s Safe To Say We’re Not Done With Halo”

Last week RipTen was fortunate enough to be invited to the Halo:Reach launch event in Times Square, NYC.  While there, we had a few drinks, ate some food, and of course, played some Reach. We also spent some time talking to Bungie and Microsoft, and they all said the same thing:  While Bungie may be done with Halo, Microsoft has made it clear that they are not. And why would they be?  Halo is Microsoft’s most bankable franchise, it’s safe to say their continued support of the franchise is a no-brainer . . . but can they keep it going without Bungie?

First, we hung out with the guys from Bungie for a bit:

RipTen: Whats it been like having a 10 year ride with Microsoft and Halo?

Bungie:  It’s been a fun ride, it’s been awesome.  Everyone at the studio has been super invested in the Halo universe from day one, and we’ve poured a huge part of our lives into it for 10 years.  We’re also really happy and proud of what we’ve accomplished with Halo: Reach

RipTen:  Speaking of which, how does it feel having Reach be your last Halo game.  Bittersweet?

Bungie:  It’s absolutely bittersweet. We’ve tried to find other words because we’ve used that one to death, but absolutely, its bittersweet to say the least.

RipTen:  So why do a prequel instead of a sequel?

Bungie:  Well, the original trilogy was really a trilogy.  The Master Chief story.  With Reach, we knew it was going tt be our last game so we really wanted to have a lot more opportunities to explore aspects of the Halo fiction that we haven’t focused on.  So with Noble Team, we’ve got a real cast of characters.  With all of the fiction and backstory, there’s just so much there to work with.  This was a chance to really get more personal with some Spartans and expand upon their personalities.

RipTen:  What’s it been like being an Xbox exclusive? (Major Nelson actually walks by and gives us a thumbs up as he hears me say this) Do you wish sometimes that you could have appealed to a broader audience?

Bungie:  I think our audience is pretty broad even being exclusive (laughs) From a development standpoint it’s really nice when you can work with one platform. There’s a lot of complexity to developing on multiple systems, so working on one just one really helped us to focus on the craft and the game itself.  We think that worked really well for both of us, both Microsfot and Bungie.

RipTen:  Is this really it for you and Halo?  Is Bungie really moving on?

Bungie:  Well, we’re saying goodbye to Halo, but we’re not finished making games. Some guys at Bungie have worked on nothing but Halo their entire careers, so as much as we love the franchise, we have other stories to tell and other games that we wanna make.

RipTen:  So what’s next for Bungie?

Bungie:  What’s next?  A giant secret! But rest assured we’re working very hard on it

(I shake my fist in faux anger)

RipTen:  So why is Reach the best Halo game yet?

Bungie:  The easy answer is because it’s got the most in it, it’s really packed with content.  We’ve just paid attention to every detail, we’ve gotten good enough at giving the right amount of time to each feature, and nothing was half finished or crammed in.  It’s 10 years of experience.  It’s a delicate balance, but so far we think everyone’s pretty happy with it.  (I agree)

Bungie Getting Swarmed For Autographs

This Room Clearly Needs More Xbox

After a few more drinks and a few more rounds of Reach firefight, we caught up with Microsoft to get their side of the story:

RipTen:  What’s it been like working with Bungie over this past decade and having Halo as an Xbox exclusive?

Microsoft:  It’s been great.  They’re a very talented developer that has obviously made some incredible games and it’s been a great partnership over the last decade.  You’ve got our marketing and their ambitious games and talented development.

RipTen:  What do you see as the future of your relationship?

Microsoft:  Well, right now all eyes are on Halo: Reach, and will continue to be for the immediate future.  There’s obviously a lot of questions about the new Activision relationship, but we’re just excited that they’re going to continue to make great games on our platform.

RipTen:  With the wild success of this game, how hard is it for you to not have Bungie make another Halo game?

Microsoft:  Well, I think it’s safe to say we’re not done with Halo.

RipTen: Is that so?  It’s safe to say?

Microsoft: That is definitely safe to say

So after getting this great bit of news, we had a few more drinks, played a bit more Reach, then once again decided to catch up with Bungie to see what they thought about it:

Fans Were Already Waiting for Kid Cudi to Perform

Split Screen For The Win

RipTen:  So Microsoft has told me it’s safe to say that they aren’t done with Halo

Bungie:  That’s probably safe to say, yes.

RipTen:  Well, how do you feel about them carrying on the franchise without you guys?

Bungie:  They have our blessing … it’s going to be exciting to see what they do.

So there you have it, Microsoft is definitely not done with the Halo franchise, and they have Bungie’s blessing.  But is a Halo game without Bungie really a Halo game? Will the fans settle for anything less than pure excellence? One thing is certain, with fans like these, you can bet that Halo is going to be around for a long time.

If you haven’t already, check out the RipTen review of Halo:Reach as well as our complete Easter egg guide!!

We’ve also got plenty of pictures and video from the launch even that are not online, so if you’d like to see ‘em feel free to shoot me an email at Dave@RipTen.com or find me @DaveOshry on Twitter.