BitSnark

What a rollercoaster it has been for mega publisher Activision these past sixty days. After the loss of Infinity Ward head honchos Vince Zampalla and Jason West, as well as some twenty-five additional employees leaving the famed Call of Duty developer (with lawsuits in tow), Activision’s fortunes weren’t exactly looking as rosy as they once did.

Well it looks like things are starting to pick up once more for the troubled mega publisher, as they today have announced the signing of an exclusive ten year publishing deal with Bungie, the now independent creators of the renowned Halo franchise.

The agreement stipulates that Activision will have the sole rights to publish and distribute all new Bungie IP across a range of platforms and devices. Bungie will, as expected, own and retain all rights to the original IP that they create.

Bungie President, Harold Ryan had this to say “We chose to partner with Activision on our next IP because of their global reach, multi-platform experience and marketing expertise,”

Activision COO, Thomas Tippl had this to say regarding the groundbreaking deal: “From working together over the past nine months on this agreement, it is clear that Activision supports our commitment to giving our fans the best possible gaming experiences. Bungie is one of the premier studios in our industry and we are extremely pleased to have the opportunity to work with their talented team over the next decade,”

He continues; “Bungie has developed some of the most compelling and successful games, multiplayer experiences and thriving fan communities, and this alliance underscores our long-standing commitment to foster the industry’s best creative talent. Our unprecedented partnership with Bungie will enable us to broaden our pipeline of exciting new games as we continue to strengthen our industry position and pursue long-term growth opportunities.”

This is a game changer, no mistake about it. I can’t wait to see what Bungie do on multiple platforms with their own IP.

Bring it on!

All credit goes to VG247.com for breaking this story.