Bungie, the developer behind the Halo franchise has announced they have signed an exclusive 10 year pact with Activision that will bring the developer’s “next big action game universe to market.”
For the next decade Activision will have exclusive, worldwide rights to publish and distribute future Bungie games “based on the new intellectual property on multiple platforms and devices.”
Financials of the deal were not disclosed.
Bungie formally had an exclusive partnership with Microsoft, but the two split in 2007.
“We chose to partner with Activision on our next IP because of their global reach, multi-platform experience and marketing expertise,” adds Bungie President Harold Ryan. “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.”
The Halo franchise has so far brought in $1.5 billion in revenue, and Bungie has sold over 25 million units worldwide.
“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,” says Thomas Tippl, Chief Operating Officer of Activision Blizzard. “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.”
Result for: deal
The Chinese government has said it is ready and willing to punish hackers in the country that allegedly targeted Google Inc. and other companies earlier this year, if Google can provide evidence against the accused. Vice Minister Miao Wei said that Google has not filed a report to the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology over the cyber attacks or sought negotiations with the government.
“If Google has had evidence that the attacks came from China, the Chinese government will welcome them to provide the information and will severely punish the offenders according to the law,” Miao said. “We never support hacking attacks because China also falls victim to hacking attacks.”
As for Google’s threat to leave China following the events and ongoing tensions over mandated censorship, Miao said that the company didn’t notify the ministry that it is considering a withdrawal from the country either. “If Google decides to continue its business in China and abides by China’s laws, it’s welcome to stay,” he said.
“If the company chooses to withdraw from the Chinese market, it must go through certain procedures according to the law and regulations and deal with customers’ problems that may arise.” He went on to vow that China will continue to provide a sound investment environment for foreign investors and protect their legitimate rights.
Result for: deal
Update to our previous article (reposted below):
Cablevision and ABC have come to a deal, 45 minutes after the start of the Oscars. More word on the agreement when it is finalized.
Original article:
Disney has blacked out the broadcast channel ABC for Cablevision’s 3 million subscribers, the day of the highly-anticipated Academy Awards.
Cablevision says it’s willing to restart negotiations with Disney, along with a third-party arbitrator, to end the spat over transmission fees.
The cable company has a decent monopoly over the Bronx, Queens, Brooklyn and parts of NJ and Connecticut.
“Given the extraordinary public interest in this matter, Senator (John) Kerry and other public officials have suggested that arbitration is appropriate in this highly unusual situation,” added Charles Schueler, Cablevision’s executive vice president of communications. “Cablevision will agree to binding arbitration and calls upon Disney CEO Bob Iger to immediately return ABC to New YOrk area viewers and join us in binding arbitration to resolve this matter fairly.”
ABC says they have put forward a counter-offer this afternoon.
