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[Tha Robbertster]

Myth. Urban legend. Unicorn.

For a man who’s been revered in the games industry for over 20 years, Jason Jones has kept a remarkably low profile. He’s the co-founder of Bungie and the person most responsible for Halo’s unquantifiable “secret sauce,” but he’s also notoriously private. He’s so wary of the spotlight, apparently, that he’s practically a ghost even inside Bungie itself despite toiling daily on Destiny, his Next Big Thing since Halo 2 shipped. So perhaps it comes as less of a surprise to learn that he hasn’t allowed himself to be profiled in the media since he was named one of Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in 2005, and hasn’t given a proper interview since a Bungie website fan Q&A in 2001.

...

Full article: http://www.ign.com/articles/2013/07...-year-silence?abthid=51d9763de5d34ad239000002

And for everyone who hasn't seen it yet, HD footage of the E3 demo (with cheesy voice overs!)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gIp7vZuYzoA

This is a 3 part interview. Part 2 will be released Monday, and part 3 on Tuesday.

 

[JehutyRunner]

Don't think you're allowed to quote full features. Just quote bits of them and link to the full feature.

 

[Kame]

Man this guy guy is god.

 

[Blueblur1]

Yeah, edit that out.

Anyway, I enjoyed that first portion. I hope he shares more interesting anecdotes and continues to talk about his game development philosophies.

 

[Tha Robbertster]

Don't think you're allowed to quote full features. Just quote bits of them and link to the full feature.

Yeah, edit that out.

Anyway, I enjoyed that first portion. I hope he shares more interesting anecdotes and continues to talk about his game development philosophies.

What't the standard on how much you can quote an article? I edited some parts out now, but dunno if 't enough, or if I should do more.

 

[Princess Carl]

It's pretty much the whole interview. You should have at the most maybe the first two paragraphs.

 

[7he Talon]

Really good interview. I'm a big fan of Bungie and the work they've done. It's nice to see Jason Jones giving an interview after all these years.

“I will take the credit and blame for the pistol in Halo,” he says with a smile.

Well there you go... Jason Jones was the one behind it.

 

[kittens]

Cool interview. Nothing earth shattering, but fun.

 

[subversus]

Never played a single Halo game but I can see that this guy is subtle.

 

[Chrisness]

The interviewer acts like the Halo 1 pistol didn't make the game perfectly balanced...

 

[Kabuki Quantum Lover]

If Jason Jones is directly responsible for the Halo 1 pistol, then the man is a saint.

 

[subversus]

Can someone tell me what was the deal with the pistol? Did it break the game? Did they patch it?

 

[Pinko Marx]

Can someone tell me what was the deal with the pistol? Did it break the game? Did they patch it?

It was like the best weapon in the game. It was useful in all situations, all ranges. You could snipe with it because it had a scope, and because of sticky aim it was laughable easy to pop your friend in the head a few times all the way across the map.

 

[Rickenslacker]

Funny how the pistol comes back up again – and this time it’s Jones who brings it up. Would he have toned down its potency?

“I was avoiding any kind of that…” he stumbles. “What I meant is, rather than do that change at the last minute, I would have made that change a lot earlier.”

My man.

Can someone tell me what was the deal with the pistol? Did it break the game? Did they patch it?

It didn't break the game, but it was the ultimate equalizer. You basically spawned with a weapon that didn't excel in any one area but could potentially get you out of any jam.

It was like the best weapon in the game. It was useful in all situations, all ranges. You could snipe with it because it had a scope, and because of sticky aim it was laughable easy to pop your friend in the head a few times all the way across the map.

With the lack of bullet magnetism, stricter hitboxes, and not being hitscan, the pistol actually took more ability to aim with than the utility weapons of every Halo after CE.

 

[RoKKeR]

Great interview, he seems like just a fun guy to work with. Looking forward to reading the next two parts.

Spoiler

I really hope Bungie has more in store for Bungie Day.

Happy 7/7!

 

[SymbolicGamer]

I wouldn't be surprised if Jason Jones was a made up persona. An incorruptible, everlasting symbol for Bungie.

Something elemental, something terrifying.

You know, like Spider-Man.

 

[Treechopper]

Finally, the pistol's mystery is uncovered by the man himself. Interesting interview and I'll definitely be reading the next two parts.

It sounds like he shows up to work, reviews everything going on and then heads toward the part that he believes to be the weakest and works to guide the people in a better direction. Basically President Producer? It is refreshing to hear him talk about people and not projects.

Also, I hope they touch on his relationship with Seropian now. I never heard why he left or what happened between him and Jones.

 

[Chrisness]

If Jason Jones is directly responsible for the Halo 1 pistol, then the man is a saint.

Yes

 

[Chrisness]

Can someone tell me what was the deal with the pistol? Did it break the game? Did they patch it?

It was perfect because it made the game greatly balanced by spawning everyone with a decent weapon.

 

[BigDug13]

I wouldn't be surprised if Jason Jones was a made up persona. An incorruptible, everlasting symbol for Bungie.

Something elemental, something terrifying.

You know, like Spider-Man.

I thought Jason Jones was a made up persona:

 

[Sojgat]

Good interview. Whenever I think of Halo, the first thing that comes to mind is that wonderful pistol, bless the man.

 

[VGChampion]

That pistol. Loved it. It was only the first thing my friends and I tried to figure out when footage for 2 and 3 came out was how did the pistol look and feel. I know they wanted the nerf but it's a shame because it became useless.

 

[BigTnaples]

Cool interview. Looking forward to the next two parts.

 

[JDHarbs]

Very interested in hearing more from Jason Jones. This is the kind of guy I wanna work for later in life.

 

[helvetica bold]

How well was Destiny received at E3? I think it looks awesome but still has a little Halo meets Star Wars vibe.
It seemed that Titanfall stole the show but Destiny and BF4 were just as well received?
To me BF4 and Destiny truly looked next gen tho.

 

[Xamdou]

Seems to me like this guy came out of hiding because Destiny needs more PR, while Bungie's previous games didn't need as much.

 

[Alcoholikaust]

great team-loved them since I met most of the OG team at Macworld in 97...

 

[urk]

Seems to me like this guy came out of hiding because Destiny needs more PR, while Bungie's previous games didn't need as much.

Jones did PR for Halo. He introduced it at MacWorld on stage alongside Steve Jobs. In this case, though, McCaffrey had been interested in talking to Jones for a pretty long time, and with Jones at E3, the opportunity finally presented itself.

(Jones did tell us that we only get to use him once for PR, so I'm totally not counting this!)

 

[Havok]

That was a really great read, I'm excited for the next two parts. I'm glad he spelled out something that I think is a huge driving force of why I like the Bungie Halo games so much. He takes this oversight role and tries to make sure it's all eventually cohesive, and that effort doesn't go unnoticed. I don't think it's always perfect because there are definitely big, important elements that sometimes clash in their games, but the moving parts mostly come together with an attention to detail that I really appreciate and it's usually pretty obvious that there's some sort of top-down creative force making sure that things belong.

I can only imagine that this is the "looking back" portion of the interview and the other parts will be more Destiny-oriented.

Seems to me like this guy came out of hiding because Destiny needs more PR, while Bungie's previous games didn't need as much.

It's also the game he's apparently been trying to make for nearly a decade now. Keep in mind that he hasn't appeared in the credits of a Halo game (outside the context of catch-all miscellaneous "Additional Development" sections) since Halo 2, where he was Project Lead. I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of his time was spent on Destiny preproduction. Part of it is probably novelty, but he's also the guy to go to if you want to talk about this project that seems like his baby.

 

[urk]

How well was Destiny received at E3?

People said really nice things, and our theater line was consistently running at about three hours. I didn't get a chance to walk around the floor, but I was told that it was one of the longest lines at the show, and we had a huge ass theater room. You never know how people are going to react in the wild, so it was really cool and relieving to see fans smiling and genuinely excited. The stuff on the YouTubes did extraordinarily well, too, even in the midst of one of the most energized E3's in a very long time, packed with great titles.

As a marketing asshat, I'm super pleased by the numbers, but most of the devs that have reached out to me aren't accepting or doling out any high fives. Lots of work to do yet. Lots of promises to keep. Lot of fans to earn.

 

[HiredN00bs]

As a marketing asshat, I'm super pleased by the numbers, but most of the devs that have reached out to me aren't accepting or doling out any high fives. Lots of work to do yet. Lots of promises to keep. Lot of fans to earn.

Destiny Public Beta access for people who purchase Call of Duty: Ghosts.

 

[Evolved1]

Can someone tell me what was the deal with the pistol? Did it break the game? Did they patch it?

The pistol is a skeleton key that unlocks the credits on Legendary difficulty.

 

[urk]

Destiny Public Beta access for people who purchase Call of Duty: Ghosts.

 

[Perkel]

People said really nice things, and our theater line was consistently running at about three hours. I didn't get a chance to walk around the floor, but I was told that it was one of the longest lines at the show, and we had a huge ass theater room. You never know how people are going to react in the wild, so it was really cool and relieving to see fans smiling and genuinely excited. The stuff on the YouTubes did extraordinarily well, too, even in the midst of one of the most energized E3's in a very long time, packed with great titles.

As a marketing asshat, I'm super pleased by the numbers, but most of the devs that have reached out to me aren't accepting or doling out any high fives. Lots of work to do yet. Lots of promises to keep. Lot of fans to earn.

Good attitude. Let the work speak for itself.

 

[Toa TAK]

That's awesome hearing him on the pistol. Loved that gun, but it would've been interesting to see how he would've changed it.

 

[Cutebrute]

Also, I hope they touch on his relationship with Seropian now. I never heard why he left or what happened between him and Jones.

I thought it has been said that Seropian didn't want to be in a corporate environment and he wanted to go back to Chicago?

 

[Akkad]

Not a Halo fan, but I like this guy already. Just doing his job and keeping a low profile, none of that twitter bullshit opinions.

 

[charsace]

The Pistol hate was stupid and because of the hate they changed Halo for the worst. The weapon balance was perfect in Halo 1. Pistol was a jack of all trades master of none weapon. Sniper beat it long range and the shotgun beat it in close combat. The only people that cried about the pistol or people who got styled on by a guy pistol dancing.

 

[EvB]

The Pistol hate was stupid and because of the hate they changed Halo for the worst. The weapon balance was perfect in Halo 1. Pistol was a jack of all trades master of none weapon. Sniper beat it long range and the shotgun beat it in close combat. The only people that cried about the pistol or people who got styled on by a guy pistol dancing.

What about the Assault Rife?

or yeah, that gun became useless.

 

[Brianimaniac]

Good so far, I just expected it to be longer if they were breaking it up into three parts.

 

[Heart Attack]

Destiny Public Beta access for people who purchase Call of Duty: Ghosts.

I would actually buy a Call of Duty game for the Beta alone. That is a genius move.

 

[RoKKeR]

He's intrigued.

Everybody run.

 

[Ingueferroque]

I want him to talk about the Marathon days.

 

[Rickenslacker]

What about the Assault Rife?

or yeah, that gun became useless.

Nah, having the side effect of quick camo gave it its uses.

 

[The Dutch Slayer]

Destiny Public Beta access for people who purchase Call of Duty: Ghosts.

DON'T give them any ideas !!!! :O:O:O seriously that would be so evil aka Actibliz of them

 

[Passive Assassin]

good times playing halo on xbox connect.

 

[road house]

Cool interview.

 

[EvB]

Nah, having the side effect of quick camo gave it its uses.

Just not as a gun

 

[Rickenslacker]

Just not as a gun

But still useful nonetheless. Be it a bug or however that came to be, it's kind of awesome that it turned out to work that way and balanced itself out regardless; I had hoped they would make alternate side effects an official part of weapons in sequels. Still, you wouldn't want a powerful AR in that game, you get stupid things like the AR rush of 3 or Halo 4 in general.

 

[Shrike_Priest]

I get that IGN is a company and they want to get hits and all that. But screw them for making this a three parter. They could have split it into three different pages if they wanted to get more ad-revenue. But releasing it like this is super-lame.

Interesting interview, but it seemed like it was just getting started.