Ok I'd be lying if I said i wasn't starting to worry about Bungie. Now Marcus is leaving. I mean serious that's like what? The 4th or 5th high profile departure over the last year or so?
Oh there are still plenty Grizzled Ancients (as far as we know). I don't know which worked on CE, and its possible even some of these dudes have left but here are some:
Tyson Green
Luke Timmins
Curtis Creamer
Adrian Perez
Jay Weinland
Carney
Achronos
Candland
Butchey
Bertone
Full List (Granted this hasn't been updated recently)
GhaleonEB said:
Same. Marcus was the art director for all of the Halo games, and Jaime the sandbox designer for Halo 1-3. Obviously Bungie is a lot more than two people, but it's a tad worrying to me that the leads on the sandbox and art - the two things I love about Halo - have left.
I share this feeling. I have good faith in Bungie though, and they've hired a lot of new talent too. I just hope its not for bad unseen reasons and really just because they needed a change.
He didn't like a game so he stuck around for almost a year after the last one came out to help on the new project?
Sometimes people just want to move on or take time off or try making games in a different way. Every single games company has people leave and join all the time. Bungie is no different.
Honestly I hope its that he's just tired and now is a good time to drop out, but in the last year there's been:
Shishka's left Bungie like 3 times now :lol He came on for Halo 2 as an artist, left to do art for Age of Booty at Certain Affinity, came back and did the Halo 3 sustain work and worked on bootstrapping Reach, left again, and now works at 343 on (presumably) Halo 4. It's called having the freedom to work where you want when you want to.
People can leave a place and not automatically be because they disagree or don't like what they're doing. Sometimes a place gets too familiar. I've left a job because of that.
Oh there are still plenty Grizzled Ancients (as far as we know). I don't know which worked on CE, and its possible even some of these dudes have left but here are some:
Tyson Green
Luke Timmins
Curtis Creamer
Adrian Perez
Jay Weinland
Carney
Achronos
Candland
Butchey
Bertone
Full List (Granted this hasn't been updated recently)
I share this feeling. I have good faith in Bungie though, and they've hired a lot of new talent too. I just hope its not for bad unseen reasons and really just because they needed a change.
I recognize that several of those came on during Halo 2 or later. I did forget about Chris Butcher though, he worked on a lot of the enemy AI for Halo CE.
I'd really really like to see a list of every 343 employee to see where they've come from, and to see how many former Bungie employees are there. Where did Shishka and Sketch go?
It's sad that I don't recognize most of the employees at Bungie anymore, and based on what rumblings we've heard about the next game, it doesn't even sound like something I'd want to play.
I can guarantee, however, that it will make lots of money.
I'd really really like to see a list of every 343 employee to see where they've come from, and to see how many former Bungie employees are there. Where did Shishka and Sketch go?
I recognize that several of those came on during Halo 2 or later. I did forget about Chris Butcher though, he worked on a lot of the enemy AI for Halo CE.
I'd really really like to see a list of every 343 employee to see where they've come from, and to see how many former Bungie employees are there. Where did Shishka and Sketch go?
Ok I'd be lying if I said i wasn't starting to worry about Bungie. Now Marcus is leaving. I mean serious that's like what? The 4th or 5th high profile departure over the last year or so?
The people who worked hard to achieve success have now attained that, and have fittingly ended their stint. Why not go out on a high note and with some nice money bags to boot?
I probably would haha.
I have the utmost confidence those now gone leaders have chosen excellent replacements.
He didn't like a game so he stuck around for almost a year after the last one came out to help on the new project?
Sometimes people just want to move on or take time off or try making games in a different way. Every single games company has people leave and join all the time. Bungie is no different.
Shishka's left Bungie like 3 times now :lol He came on for Halo 2 as an artist, left to do art for Age of Booty at Certain Affinity, came back and did the Halo 3 sustain work and worked on bootstrapping Reach, left again, and now works at 343 on (presumably) Halo 4. It's called having the freedom to work where you want when you want to.
People can leave a place and not automatically be because they disagree or don't like what they're doing. Sometimes a place gets too familiar. I've left a job because of that.
I'm not wearing my tinfoil hat and trying to say Bungie is going rotten, but it still makes me think. If people are happy in their job, they generally stay, you can't really deny this. Bungie is unique, they have a different atmosphere and style and don't generally have guys going in and out. The Ancients have stuck around for the most part. I wouldn't call this the norm for a place like Bungie that is supposed to be really awesome to work for full of passionate people.
That said, I am leaning towards my first thought that its in between projects and now is a good time to bounce before getting sucked into the next big thing.
Can you use the guys who composed the music in Origins Part 2? That was simply THE best orchestration of Halo music I've ever heard. They have my vote!!
I tried doing one a while ago, but its bloody hard and apart from twitter I didn't know where to look, but here's as far as i got.
Now edited with Hypertrooper's and Plywood's additions
Design:
- Scott Warner @scott_343
- Jesse Snyder - (former Call of Duty lead designer, creator of Nazi Zombies) @thejessesnyder
- Jason Behr (Metriod 1/2)
- Chris Haluke (Design Lead on Killzone 3)
- Dan Callan @danjamin
- Paul Parsons @paul_par
- M.E. Chung @lizmechung
- Kevin Franklin @kevin_franklin
- Paul Ehreth (Shadowrun)
- Kendall Deacon Davis
- Jonathan Schwartz (UI Design)
- Chris King (Volition)
- Kynan Pearson
- Chad Armstrong - Shishka (apparently he's doing the Achievements and Terminals in CEA -yeah i wrote that around e3 time, and i can't remember where i read that)
Art and Animation:
-Ryan Payton (Metal Gear Solid 4) @ryanpayton
- Vic Deleon (Halo: Reach) @vicdeleon
- Paul Pepera (Doom 4)
- Donnie Taylor (ex-Bungie contract)
- Wei Wiharjo Chen (The Saboteur)
- Jonathan Wood (EA Tiburon)
- Johnny van Zelm (Sony Online Entertainment)
- Mike Murrill (Naughty Dog)
- Daveed Kaplan
- Will Christiansen (contract, ex-Bungie contract)
- Tim Diaz (God of War 3)
- Chris Buckley The_DrMouse (Graphic Designer)
Producers:
- Dan Ayoub @Danayoub (Executive Producer)
- Gavin Carter (Fallout 3, TES: Oblivion) @gavinc343
- Veronica Peshterianu (The Sims 2)
- Corrinne Robinson
- Alex Cutting
- Che Chou (Forza 3) @chespace
Engineering:
- Joe Waters (Shadowrun)
- Matt Brown (Bioshock 2)
- Peter Kugler (Microsoft SDET)
- Zhi Min Chen (KAOS)
- Corrinne Yu (Gearbox)
I'm not wearing my tinfoil hat and trying to say Bungie is going rotten, but it still makes me think. If people are happy in their job, they generally stay, you can't really deny this. Bungie is unique, they have a different atmosphere and style and don't generally have guys going in and out. The Ancients have stuck around for the most part. I wouldn't call this the norm for a place like Bungie that is supposed to be really awesome to work for full of passionate people.
That said, I am leaning towards my first thought that its in between projects and now is a good time to bounce before getting sucked into the next big thing.
At the same time, it's natural for people to want to do something different. Marcus went from art guy to overseeing the entire art team to being the project director (not sure if that was the exact title) in Reach. Since the next project was already a few years into development when he finished, his next role would be very different and a step down in terms of scope - and perhaps he wanted something new. That would be the simple (and least worrying) explanation. Where he ends up next will tell the story.
I try not to read too much into the departures, but they are adding up.
Can you use the guys who composed the music in Origins Part 2? That was simply THE best orchestration of Halo music I've ever heard. They have my vote!!
At the same time, it's natural for people to want to do something different. Marcus went from art guy to overseeing the entire art team to being the project director (not sure if that was the exact title) in Reach. Since the next project was already a few years into development when he finished, his next role would be very different - and perhaps he wanted something new. That would be the simple (and least worrying) explanation. Where he ends up next will tell the story.
I try not to read too much into the departures, but they are adding up.
Just curious but is there any chance of the Waypoint site being updated? I like current main page but other parts of the site don't seem as polished. Additionally some things seem missing, like maybe a "Meet the Staff" page? Also, I don't think I am alone in saying that I would like to see the forums split up by games and then an Playlist management forum. Then again I wouldn't be surprised if you all are already working on getting the site ready for teh August 2nd transition.
I tried doing one a while ago, but its bloody hard and apart from twitter I didn't know where to look, but here's as far as i got.
Design:
- Scott Warner @scott_343
- Jesse Snyder - (former Call of Duty lead designer, creator of Nazi Zombies) @thejessesnyder
- Jason Behr (Metriod 1/2)
- Chris Haluke (Design Lead on Killzone 3)
- Dan Callan @danjamin
- Paul Parsons @paul_par
- M.E. Chung @lizmechung
- Kevin Franklin @kevin_franklin
- Paul Ehreth (Shadowrun)
- Kendall Deacon Davis
- Jonathan Schwartz (UI Design)
- Chris King (Volition)
- Kynan Pearson
- Chad Armstrong - Shishka (apparently he's doing the Achievements and Terminals in CEA -yeah i wrote that around e3 time, and i can't remember where i read that)
Art and Animation:
-Ryan Payton (Metal Gear Solid 4) @ryanpayton
- Vic Deleon (Halo: Reach) @vicdeleon
- Paul Pepera (Doom 4)
- Donnie Taylor (ex-Bungie contract)
- Wei Wiharjo Chen (The Saboteur)
- Jonathan Wood (EA Tiburon)
- Johnny van Zelm (Sony Online Entertainment)
- Mike Murrill (Naughty Dog)
- Daveed Kaplan
- Will Christiansen (contract, ex-Bungie contract)
- Tim Diaz (God of War 3)
Producers:
- Gavin Carter (Fallout 3, TES: Oblivion) @gavinc343
- Veronica Peshterianu (The Sims 2)
- Corrinne Robinson
- Alex Cutting
Engineering:
- Joe Waters (Shadowrun)
- Matt Brown (Bioshock 2)
- Peter Kugler (Microsoft SDET)
- Zhi Min Chen (KAOS)
Some other dudes, who work at 343i:
Nicole Makila @nicolemakila (???)
Andy Luedke @Frantic343 (???)
You don't have the charming guy Dan Ayoub in your list:
Dan Ayoub @Danayoub (Executive Producer)
Schlerf @schlerf (Writer)
Chris Buckley The_DrMouse (Graphic Designer)
Verohime
Twismarch
I suspect Marcus just moved on for his own reasons not because of anything specific to where Bungie is heading.
Even people who are dating super models decide to move on. Some folks just want a change to freshen things up.
Halo Gameplay Content: Yesterday was a bad day of Reach for me. LOTS of quitters. Is there some challenge/world event that is the root of the quitting epidemic?
Che is not doing community. He is a muckety muck and a producer now.
The Legends music is great because Marty and mike Salvatore did the original compositions. All we did was reorchestrate and pay for a more expensive orchestra. This is the approach we are taking with Anniversary too, only we are spending even more money and using Skywalker sound. So when it sounds incredible, which it does, that is also because of Marty's epicness.
The Bungie stuff is just normal churn. Frankly in a company that size and that age, it's a testament to what a great outfit it is that so few people do turnaround.
We will unveil some more of our staff and leads at halo fest for the curious.
Everybody who steps away is a loss. Marcus is extraordinarily humble and his contributions to Halo have always been understated as a result. That said, it took an army of talented people to ship Halo: Reach, and I can count the departures, post-ship, on one hand. It's not uncommon for developers to transition after shipping a major project, but Bungie's done a remarkable job keeping people rooted at the studio. There is free Peanut Butter Twix, after all.
ChenK said:
I fired up the Halo 1 credits, and these names ring a bell as those who have stuck around at Bungie, although I may be wrong:
If you count Pete Parsons and Mike Salvatori (and you certainly should, Pete's chest hair should count as a sentient being in and of itself), 32 of the people in the Halo: CE credits still shuffle around these halls, wholly incapable of tearing themselves free of the Bungie teat.
Everybody who steps away is a loss. Marcus is extraordinarily humble and his contributions to Halo have always been understated as a result. That said, it took an army of talented people to ship Halo: Reach, and I can count the departures, post-ship, on one hand. It's not uncommon for developers to transition after shipping a major project, but Bungie's done a remarkable job keeping people rooted at the studio. There is free Peanut Butter Twix, after all.
If you count Pete Parsons and Mike Salvatori (and you certainly should, Pete's chest hair should count as a sentient being in and of itself), 32 of the people in the Halo: CE credits still shuffle around these halls, wholly incapable of tearing themselves free of the Bungie teat.
Why do you have to boil everything down to some kind of crude barnyard metaphor?
Good to hear that your company-wide DNA hasn't changed that much since CE. Though I suspect that, as a whole, it is both paler and red-headier than ever.
Everybody who steps away is a loss. Marcus is extraordinarily humble and his contributions to Halo have always been understated as a result. That said, it took an army of talented people to ship Halo: Reach, and I can count the departures, post-ship, on one hand. It's not uncommon for developers to transition after shipping a major project, but Bungie's done a remarkable job keeping people rooted at the studio. There is free Peanut Butter Twix, after all.
If you count Pete Parsons and Mike Salvatori (and you certainly should, Pete's chest hair should count as a sentient being in and of itself), 32 of the people in the Halo: CE credits still shuffle around these halls, wholly incapable of tearing themselves free of the Bungie teat.
Thanks for clearing it up a bit. I didn't actually think anything was wrong at Bungie, just got curious seeing long-timers leaving. Its still sad to see them leave. I wish Marcus the best, and Brian and Jamie for that matter.
ChenK said:
Hold on, Twix with peanut butter? What does this strange concoction taste like??
Everybody who steps away is a loss. Marcus is extraordinarily humble and his contributions to Halo have always been understated as a result. That said, it took an army of talented people to ship Halo: Reach, and I can count the departures, post-ship, on one hand. It's not uncommon for developers to transition after shipping a major project, but Bungie's done a remarkable job keeping people rooted at the studio. There is free Peanut Butter Twix, after all.
If you count Pete Parsons and Mike Salvatori (and you certainly should, Pete's chest hair should count as a sentient being in and of itself), 32 of the people in the Halo: CE credits still shuffle around these halls, wholly incapable of tearing themselves free of the Bungie teat.
Yeah, I didn't even think of this when I set my address for the steaks. I'm moving at the end of this week, and then I'm immediately taking off once a move for a little two week break at my parents house. I guess I just assumed we'd have steaks by now.
I mean I did steak Bungie HARD, real hard
urk said:
They're being shipping in batches, but I believe everyone who sent me good data should have steak en route in the next couple of days.
Finished reading Halo Cryptum, and posting here as the Cryptum thread seems a little underpopulated.
I read the terminals page on Halo Wikia, something in the Halo 3 terminals discusses how Mendicant Bias spent 43 years with the Gravemind on a Halo ring, that seems to match the 43 year timespan mentioned explicitly in the book. I really hope the Precursur wasnt Gravemind. As we have already dealt with him, and he just wasnt epic enough to be Precursor! I (hopefully) doubt they would go down that route as im sure they want to explore the precursors in the next Halo trilogy.
That said im pretty mindblown and confused between all the Halo fiction, I guess I gotta wait and see how it plays out. Cant wait for the next book! As other have said this has truly thrown the fiction wide open, and now there are so many cool areas to explore in Halo games that 343 can have a field day.
I must say I also agree with the posts in the cryptum thread, the book was a bit 'alien' and hard to follow, but I think the 'alien' structure of the book helps keep the Forerunners slightly mysterious, there are elements of the book I dont understand and im not sure whether thats by design or just bad writing. Either way I kinda liked that aspect. Odd I know!
Im conflicted, there are aspects of the Forerunners that just dont 'fit', and there are things that im not sure are explained. (Like why the hell are all the forerunner buildings so large!
Was it for the sphinxes? Are the sphinxes much larger than the forerunners? What exactly are the sphinxes, are they vehicles, war machines?)
Generally though im quite happy to enjoy the ride.
Can you use the guys who composed the music in Origins Part 2? That was simply THE best orchestration of Halo music I've ever heard. They have my vote!!
Q. How would you analyze the NPV of the individual cash flow required to sustain the "free candy" benefit at Bungie over the last twenty years? What data would you require and how would you calculate worth?
Yeah I know. You've typed that before. I have to say though, that's a very unusual opinion and a bit weird. Most people like or love the reorchestration. But it's your opinion and you are 100% entitled to it. I just find it a bit perplexing.
I wonder if you'll like the Skywalker recordings. Totally different people, but still, a reorchestration and re-recording. Much more literal in terms of timing and cadence to match the game.
Nope, through the magics of Bungie.net we have a list of winners that we cross-reference against the linked LIVE gamertags for authentication purposes.