Composer Marty O’Donnell shed light on the difficult relationship between the studio Bungie and publisher Activisionthat created a lot of problems when developing the series Destiny. Interview with him published YouTube channel HiddenXperia.
As O’Donnell admitted, from the very beginning he considered the deal with Activision a bad idea, and this opinion is now shared by many ex-studio employees. The composer was a member of the Bungie board of directors when a decision was made in 2010, but it was not “a marriage made in heaven.”
The problem was as follows. The studio initially proposed its new project. Microsoft (teaser Destiny could be seen in Halo: ODST), and the parties almost signed a contract. However, the platform holder demanded that he transfer all rights to the new franchise in exchange for financing, which Bungie did not like very much. But Activision took a softer position, which became a decisive factor.
However, from the very beginning Bungie tried to play it safe so that the new partner did not try to trick them. Therefore, a council of seven senior studio leaders was formed to discuss all ideas. Marty himself entered it.
Despite this, Activision still managed to break firewood and confuse Bungie’s plans. Not everything was good in the studio, as some employees opposed autonomy, offering to delegate authority to the publisher. Many of them still work at Bungie.
The signal that cooperation would be problematic sounded right at the dinner that took place before the contract was signed (it was attended by Bobby Kitty) An Activision spokesperson “with an Austrian accent” ridiculed O’Donnell’s words. The composer said the publisher should respect the “goose that will lay the golden eggs for this.” In response, an employee of the publishing house joked roughly that “there is nothing better than foie gras” (a dish made from the liver of a force-fed goose).
The composer did not like such statements. He admitted that the deal had to be refused right on the spot. The fear was reinforced by the fact that at that moment there was a collapse of the studio Infinity wardfranchise Call of duty.
Looking back, Marty O’Donnell noted that it is now easy to judge events that have already occurred. The composer himself no longer works at Bungie, and he sued the studio because of unpaid bonuses.
O’Donnell hinted that the conflict is partly related to Activision’s activities and the standoff between proponents of autonomy and proponents of collaboration with the publisher. The franchise could be defended if all Bungie executives opposed the intervention on a united front. This did not happen, and the resisting composer was fired with violations.
As a result, O’Donnell sued the former employer about 100 thousand dollars. At the same time, the composer still holds a large stake in Bungie, although he can not do anything with it (no one bought the studio, it did not become a public company).
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