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Microsoft snagged Bungie just days before Apple

By

On October 27, 2010, 6:58 PM

According to a former Bungie employee, Microsoft purchased the Halo creator just "days" before Apple. In a chat with Develop, ex-Bungie developer Tuncer Deniz said things went down like this: the studio asked Apple if it was interested in an acquisition and CEO Steve Jobs mulled the idea but initially declined. Jobs changed his mind about a week later and Cupertino contacted Bungie to cut a deal -- but it was too late. "Bungie had already consummated the deal with Microsoft," said Deniz.


Jobs was reportedly "furious" when Microsoft announced the acquisition, according to former Redmond executive Ed Fries. "He was mad at Ballmer and phoned him up and was angry because we'd just bought the premier Mac game developer and made them an Xbox developer." Ballmer tasked Fries with defusing the situation, and he cooled Jobs off by promising that certain PC games would be ported to Mac -- no specific titles were mentioned in the interview. "It was a pretty strange time," Fries added.

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User Comments: 56

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  1. lol, I think that sums it up well

  2. It's ashame that a PC game was ripped from the PC forever. Now the PC gets the sloppy seconds 2-3 years after Halo games are released.

    Like the other games developed by Bungie prior to the Microsoft buyout, they were released on both Mac and Windows. Microsoft stepped in and took Halo from the PC world altogether.

    I was thoroughly disappointed when it occurred.

  3. Never bought a mac and never will until they have a solid database of good games. I understand that it's important to work but it's also important to relax.

  4. Apple will never take over or be crushed. Apple computers offer NO advantages over a windows one. The whole "Macs don't get viruses" was their last stand and now it's void. Just like Steve said

    "$500 more to get a logo on it" It isn't worth it.

    But at the same time they wont be crushed because their loyal fanbase will always get apple products.

  5. "How dare you buy the company that I had turned down!" You snooze, you lose. I'm entertained by this story on account of the sheer ridiculousness involved in Jobs getting upset that he said no, and then they went to someone else with the deal.

  6. Jobs deserved that for saying no in the first place! Go microsoft.

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