Microsoft give Halo Games Maker to Be Independent

Bungie, based in Kirkland, Washington, said he planned to return to its roots as an independent game studio, a move that eventually cost Microsoft exclusive ties with one of the most successful and sought-after teams of game developers.

Harold Ryan, president and studio head of Bungie, said he had worked for months on a plan to separate the studio from Microsoft, based in nearby Redmond, Washington Mr. Ryan said that the companies had a good employment relationship, but that developers at Bungie yearned to work for themselves, not a business owner.

"It's an emotionally creative point of view," he said of the decision to take the studio independent. "It's the state we wanted to be in"

Neither Mr. Ryan, nor Shane Kim, the director of Microsoft Game Studios, will focus on financial conditions. Microsoft originally acquired Bungie in 2000 for an undisclosed amount.

Bungie Halo games have been the singular importance of Microsoft in developing its video game machine business.

Halo has been available exclusively on Microsoft Xbox video game consoles. This resulted in the popularity of the game has helped to drive consumers to the console rather than Xbox systems made by competitors Nintendo and Sony.

Microsoft said that since Halo 3 on the market last week, he sounded more than $ 300 million in sales. It was selling at a faster pace than Halo and Halo 2, which combined sold nearly 15 million copies, Microsoft said.

Mr. Kim said the separation helped Microsoft aims to achieve blockbuster hits for its consoles. "It is in our interest to support Bungie desire to return to its independent roots," he said.

At least initially, important aspects of the relationship between Microsoft and Bungie will remain intact.

Mr. Ryan said that Bungie planned to continue to develop games exclusively for the Xbox platform. He said that at some point, Bungie would have the right to develop games for other platforms, but he refused to say when.

Bungie has 113 employees. Evan Wilson, a video game industry analyst with Pacific Crest Securities, said that employees of Bungie had bought the first property to the majority of Microsoft. "Bungie and Microsoft clearly had different creative directions," says Wilson.

He added: "Bungie lost some key employees over the years, which while not uncommon for studios, may be a sign of that."