Bungie's IP "Destiny" Revealed Through Lawsuit

[Fusion]

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Details of video game publisherActivision Blizzard Inc.'s high-profile deal in 2010 with Bungie Inc. to make an original game series has been made public for the first time as part of a separate lawsuit involving the Call of Duty game franchise.

The deal with Bungie, considered one of the hottest studios in the industry, at the time helped Activision save face in the midst of an ugly legal fight with former Call of Duty developers Jason West and Vincent Zampella, whom Activision had fired a month earlier in March 2010. But at what cost?

Activision's contract with Bungie, recently unsealed as part of Activision's lawsuit against West and Zampella, outlines exactly what those costs are.

The 27-page agreement calls for Bungie to develop four "sci-fantasy, action shooter games," code-named "Destiny," released every other year, beginning in the fall of 2013. Bungie also agreed to put out four downloadable expansion packs code-named "Comet," every other year beginning in the fall of 2014. Activision has never disclosed release plans for Bungie's titles.

The first Destiny game will initially only be available on Microsoft's Xbox 360 consoles, as well as its potential successor, which the contract refers to as the "Xbox 720." Later games would be made for Xbox consoles as well as Sony Corp.'s expected successor to the PlayStation 3, and on personal computers.

Bungie would be entitled to royalties ranging from 20% to 35% of "operating income," the amount left over after Activision deducts its costs, including development, production and marketing expenses.

Under the contract, which may have been amended since it went into effect on April 16, 2010, Activision would also pay Bungie $2.5 million a year in bonuses between 2010 and 2013 if the Bellevue, Wash., studio meets certain quality and budget milestones. Bungie gets another $2.5 million if the first Destiny game achieves a score of 90 or better out of 100 on GameRankings.com, a site that summarizes reviews by game critics.

The contract also reveals for the first time that Bungie is working on a potential successor to its Marathon game, which became a cult hit after it was published in 1994 for the Apple Mac. The document refers to Bungie's right to devote no more than 5% of its staff to develop an action-shooter prototype dubbed Marathon while Bungie remains under contract with Activision.

Quite interesting. I wonder if this could completely replace CoD as their key franchise.

[Grev]

90% sure given the direction that Black Ops is going into, and given that West and Zampella have hinted that they're making a futuristic shooter for EA, that Bungie's new IP will be Acitivision's new key franchise.

[Teancum]

I totally trust Bungie's vision. I can only say that wholly about one other company: Raven Sotware.

By the way, Fusion -- I've never said this before, but for three years now every time I see your avatar I sing "Berries and Cream" in my head.

[Fusion]

By the way, Fusion -- I've never said this before, but for three years now every time I see your avatar I sing "Berries and Cream" in my head.

I had a parody version of the ad planned for Battlefront 3, but seeing as that never happened it won't be seeing the light of day. This is a good thing.

Considering this is coming out I guess I'll have to get a new Xbox (RRoD, no more warranty) and renew my Live again this year. Oh well.