Bungie didn't laugh over postponed Halo reveal

by Dustin Burg { Jul 24th 2008 at 12:30PM }

Unlike Microsoft's Don Mattrick previously reported, Bungie president Harold Ryan is denying ever laughing over news that their special Halo announcement would be postponed until after E3. "I certainly didn't agree with the decision to delay our news until sometime after E3," Ryan explained, re-iterating the fact that "Bungie is always concerned first and foremost with our fans. Whenever we are prevented from exceeding their positive expectations it is not a laughing matter." 100% agreed. Postponed Halo game announcements are no laughing matter. No laughing matter at all.

Tags: bungie, bungie-studios, halo, halo-3, microsoft

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Tony @ Jul 24th 2008 12:37PM

Given the context, even if he did actually laugh I figured it would be kind of just a laugh of frustration. The kind you do to make yourself not get super pissed lol.

OrionnoirO @ Jul 24th 2008 12:37PM

Right... Am I the only one who remembers Luke sitting on the bungie forums laughing at people trying to find armor that couldnt be unlocked, simply to keep egging them on and confusing people with saying it could. No, Bungie doesnt enjoy toying with their fan-base at all... :\

I already lost alot of respect for some of the Bungie people from incidents like those around Halo 3, now it seems that when their antics make it to the news, they want to act like their fanbase is soooo important and they wouldnt laugh at toying with them like that. pfft. Bungie must have forgotten they make those podcasts, which people save, and have proof that is completely wrong.

grimlock26 @ Jul 24th 2008 1:41PM

i think they like to have fun with the "over the top" crowd who write letters or finds out where they work and play Halo 3 constantly. I think they care, at least somewhat, about the average gamer who in the end just enjoys the franchise.

OrionnoirO @ Jul 25th 2008 12:25AM

I find it funny that my comment got neg rated like that.. I mean does everyone honestly believe an exec wouldnt chuckle about it? Of course to the public he wants to save face, so lets throw that guy under the bus for bringing it up. I am shocked everyone thinks Bungie is that innocent, especially with as I said, past things like that.

I DeX I @ Jul 24th 2008 12:40PM

What's up with "Staff Writer"...are you shy?

joey @ Jul 24th 2008 12:49PM

My guess is it's Dustin's alter ego, Elizabeth Harp.
We'll probably find out in the next podcast.

Tess @ Jul 24th 2008 2:14PM

I don't like it. It's odd.

DaMan09 @ Jul 25th 2008 6:26PM

http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/07/24/aol-makes-big-budget-cuts-across-blogs/

TSlade @ Jul 24th 2008 3:23PM

I can't figure out why the game wasn't shown. Microsoft had a great show but why not go for the knockout punch?

Jeremy Gray @ Jul 24th 2008 5:26PM

Simple: because everyone already knew the announcement was coming, and all that making the announcement would do is completely drown out any and all coverage of anything else MS showed at E3. If they had "a great show" as you say, then why not let that show get as much press as possible and then, only once that has died down, schedule and put on a dedicated event for this remaining announcement. A Bungie-related announcement is worth the cost of hosting a separate event, and the net result is more total press coverage of both the E3 announcements and the Bungie one (when it happens.)

TSlade @ Jul 24th 2008 8:23PM

It's true, Halo is a hell of a weapon to have. And to not have to use it is great. BUT, I'm of the mind that if you have the bullets in the chamber- you should use them.

e.Missark @ Jul 24th 2008 12:43PM

Oh!! Tension between M$ and Bungie rise! Soon we'll be seeing Halo + future Bungie games on the PS3.

Just wait and see. He he he ha ha he ... heee!

Muffin_man @ Jul 24th 2008 12:47PM

Considering Microsoft own the Halo IP, Bungie would never be able to port it over to PS3.

Uninformed PS3 fanboys FTL.

joey @ Jul 24th 2008 12:50PM

Not gonna happen, MS owns the IP.

I DeX I @ Jul 24th 2008 12:52PM

Would the kind folks at X3F please ban this troll. Thank you.

Muffin_man @ Jul 24th 2008 12:43PM

Internet is srs biznezz.

Gemini Ace @ Jul 24th 2008 12:45PM

Isn't Bungie independent now? Why can't they just announce it whenever they want?

Intentless @ Jul 24th 2008 12:49PM

Publishers control the release of the product, advertising and out flow of information.

Muffin_man @ Jul 24th 2008 12:50PM

Because Microsoft is the publisher of the game, they take care of PR and so what Microsoft says is the final word.

HE4VENSENT @ Jul 24th 2008 12:51PM

oh noez teh trolls are out early

UNSCleric @ Jul 24th 2008 1:02PM

I fucking hate Don Mattrick. Why doesn't that arrogant piece of shit go back to EA?

Ghostbuddy @ Jul 24th 2008 1:54PM

Seriously, how are you going cut a Bungie announcement in favor of games like "Your in the movies". Then cut the wendsday announcement with just over 12 hours before it was set to occur.

Then try and down play it by accusing your developer of laughing when it was delayed. After the said developer had already publicly displayed their severe disapointment for the delay. You end up looking like a jack ass.

Ryan Hartman @ Jul 24th 2008 1:16PM

Bungie is now a 3rd party independent developer and a bumbling Microsoft coprorate decision has pissed them of ...

Yeah that's just great. Why not gift wrap their studio as you hand them to Sony, morons?

The more I read about this more more embarassing it is, Bungie definately got hosed on this one. That's gotta be an egg-face moment.

The only thing that would make up for it is if Microsoft is planning on having some huge gala event at the tokyo game show or something. That would make it ok, I guess.

Glitch W @ Jul 24th 2008 1:34PM

but the Japanese public doesn't care about MS or Halo so them announcing Bungie's new Halo project at TGS instead of E3 where people care about Halo and in the prime market for Halo seems kind of weird. It's kind of like how Blizzard went to Korea to announce Star craft 2, the Korean audience are the biggest star craft fans so it gets best reception there. Halo would get a lukewarm reception in Japan but a great one at E3

e.Missark @ Jul 24th 2008 1:18PM

Bungie on PS3 FTW ;)

Mr.U2 @ Jul 24th 2008 5:31PM

Your face never existing again FTW

e.Missark @ Jul 24th 2008 7:18PM

Oh, you're a feisty like bitch aren't you?

I LIKE THAT! o]>=

TheH2s @ Jul 24th 2008 1:26PM

Thing is Bungie didn't keep their mouth (web site) shut. They hint that there are going to be announcements and when it doesn't happen they look like idiots and then try to blame others for it. They didn't have to hint or say anything about it, it really isn't there place.

I love the Halo francise but Bungie is damn annoying.

Glitch W @ Jul 24th 2008 1:37PM

Bungie thought the announcement was going to happen as planned and Microsoft changed the plan on them so they stopped the countdown. there isn't anything irresponsible or annoying about that

TORO @ Jul 24th 2008 1:30PM

LOL

Dirty @ Jul 24th 2008 1:31PM

This really seems like it been poorly handled. But I wont care when I playing "In the movies" with a bunch of my closest friends! HOORAY!

Etchasketchist @ Jul 24th 2008 1:47PM

I said before that someone should be fired over this eff-up. I nominate Don Mattrick.

Jack Tretton @ Jul 24th 2008 2:01PM

Why are you dredging this up? Got a quota to meet?

TheH2s @ Jul 24th 2008 2:01PM

How do you know what the "plan" was? You are assuming that they were told, just as I am assuming they weren't. Thing is we don't know but still Bungie needs to get over it.

Ghostbuddy @ Jul 24th 2008 2:16PM

What are you babbeling about?

The plan was to have the announcement at Microsofts conference. But Don decided to cut the 2 and a half hour conference to an hour and a half.

So Microsoft changed the plan sometime between june- and july because of Dons choice. And the announcement was give its own event on Wensday. Some one from Microsoft then phoned Bungie on tuesday night, about 12 hours before the announcement was set to occur and canceled it.

Bungie had a horde of things planned. A mocumentary about E3, a podcast, a trailer, a fan fair at Pax, and a lot more that had to get shelved because of the last minute cancelation. That quite frankly should not have occured in the first place.

Don started taking heat, and he accuses Harold of laughing at the cancelation when he was first told.

No one is assuming anything here but you.

stinger503 @ Jul 24th 2008 2:11PM

What annoys me about this is Bungie's appearance of a spoiled brat. To me it seems pretty tasteless to go talking like this behind Microsoft's back. This isn't Bungie's style which is "who cares let's roll with this" Instead it's "The people who are paying us didn't want to announce our game, poor us." Then use the fans as their excuse "Oh our poor fans." Your fans can wait, was your game coming out this fall? No? Then there's plenty of time to announce it and plenty of time to wait anyway. Makes me angry.

CN @ Jul 24th 2008 2:29PM

Well, dealing with a large corporation which probably has a lot of unnecessary political drama can be tiring. Also, we don't know how or how much effort was put into the announcement so they might have had done a nice set up to only get told their efforts were for naught at last minute. Especially if they were told they were going to save the announcement for a trump card later, which is really just unnecessary PR maneuvering because real gamers really don't care for that bs.

I can see your argument though, but ultimate we really don't know what fully went down, so all I can say is...

Another Halo Woot :)

It and GoW were the only reason I bought a 360 in the first place :D (and to play Chromehounds but don't tell anyone >.>)

stinger503 @ Jul 24th 2008 4:22PM

Amen, I'm just happy knowing there is a game to be announced.

Tony @ Jul 24th 2008 4:46PM

If the original conference was going to be 2 and a half hours, why would cutting a Bungie announcement account for a whole hour of that time?

I guess this really just makes me wonder what /else/ they cut from the conference if that's true.

ZEBRA NINER @ Jul 24th 2008 5:53PM

What the heck is a Bungie? Halo? Is this a new point and click adventure? ;)

Clinton oxendine @ Jul 24th 2008 6:50PM

you are a Jack A for that comment

ZEBRA NINER @ Jul 24th 2008 7:08PM

Jack Ass! I just used a curse word! OMG! Good times.

e.Missark @ Jul 24th 2008 7:15PM

All things point to it being another one of those. Now about Bungie...I don't know. I've bungee jumped before. Could the two be related. Uhm?

Just In: Bungie switched over to the dark side, the better side that is. Expect Bungie goodness on the PS3 soon.

"Why so serious?"