Please support Game Informer. Print magazine subscriptions are less than $2 per issue
Bungie Shuts Down Microsoft Acquisition Rumor
Earlier this week, a rumor emerged that Bungie was in talks with Microsoft about a potential acquisition, though the rumor stated that the studio was asking for too much money for the move to be viable. Now Bungie's CEO is stepping in to set the record straight.
The Bungie buyout rumor was kickstarted during a recent GamesBeat podcast in which they cited an inside source stating that talks of a buyout were ongoing. According to the podcast, Microsoft was interested in re-aquiring the Destiny 2 studio, but movement on that goal was slow due to an alleged asking price from Bungie itself being "too high." Since then, numerous outlets reported on the rumor with alleged sources backing up the acquisition talk, something that Bungie CEO Pete Parsons firmly denied.
This is false.
— pete parsons (@pparsons) September 14, 2020
When video games analysts @Nibellion took to Twitter with a report from the podcast about the potential sale, Parsons responded with a short and simple "This is false."
Studio CEOs don't often comment on rumors, but given Bungie's previous emancipation from Microsoft his interception could be a desire to keep the two entities separate. Microsoft acquired Bungie back in 2000 and were vital to Halo's success, but the studio separated from Microsoft back in 2007 shortly before joining the Activision umbrella. No longer a part of Activision anymore as well, Bungie currently has a hard-earned independence, which could be a motivating factor behind shutting down any rumors that an acquisition is in progress.
Microsoft has been making strong moves in the past two years with acquiring a variety of studios spanning different game specialties. With the re-ignited success of Destiny 2, it's not hard to see where a rumor like this would spark from. Also, to that point, unofficial buyout talks are commonplace, it is possible that the team at GamesBeat misconstrued a more casual conversation as an official deal in-progress.
I’d like to ask you to support Game Informer’s continued coverage of games with a subscription. For less than two dollars per issue, we mail you a full year of 10 print magazines, each with cover stories and preview features filled with exclusive details about the most exciting upcoming games. We profile and interview game creators. We look back on the rich history of gaming, and we celebrate what’s next.
Here on the website, we offer much of our content for free, including game reviews, daily news, videos, event coverage, and more – all with minimal ads.
We do so with a small editorial team, alongside contributing paid writers from around the world – over 65 individuals from 9 countries around the world, just in the last couple of years.
It’s not possible without support.
In a time when game makers and games coverage have faced hard struggles and layoffs, the future of this 30+ year magazine and community is at risk. Our new standalone magazine subscription is the number one way you can keep us alive – and we believe you’ll get a pretty fantastic gaming magazine in your mailbox every few weeks for your trouble.
Thank you.
