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Xbox chief thinks today’s Microsoft could have kept Bungie
On Wednesday Xbox will release the newest game from the franchise Bungie created but no longer develops: Halo.www.axios.com
Microsoft’s head of gaming understands why Bungie, arguably the most acclaimed game studio in Xbox history, left the tech giant to go independent many years ago, but he thinks his company might have been able to retain them today.
What they’re saying: “We’ve learned a lot,” Xbox’s Phil Spencer told Axios when we discussed Bungie’s history with Xbox in late October.
- Asked if the split was inevitable or if Microsoft could have held on to them, he added: “Could we do it today? I think we could.”
- But he said he understands why they left. “At the time they had big ambitions. They had sold their business for a certain amount of money. They saw what Halo turned into. And it's like, ‘OK, Microsoft benefited more than Bungie did from the success of Halo.’ There's no other story that can be written there.”
- He mused, “If you're saying, ‘Hey, I think I've got another one of those in me. I want to really take another chance,’ I can understand the allure of doing that as an independent company.”
He thinks they could have held onto Bungie against their wishes to go indie?
That would have been a pretty shitty outcome.
Bungie wanted to do and own their own thing and I think they were done with making only Halo games. At that point I don't think they cared about MGS culture or management approach, they just wanted independence and the ability to own their own IP and therefore reap the rewards of their own success as a studio.
