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Halo 2 Release Date Slips?
George Bailey writes "Forbes.com/Reuters has posted an interview with Microsoft's Chief Xbox Officer Robbie Bach, who provided some vague hints in regards to the launch of flagship Xbox FPS sequel, Halo 2. In his own words: 'We're going to ship it when it's ready...That might be the first half of 2004, it might not. You have to be careful with franchises like this.' The current projected release date is, or was, April 1st 2004, according to game retailers." Update: 01/11 07:46 GMT by S : Several commenters point out that 'slipped' is in the eye of the beholder: "What I get from Mr. Bach is that they don't have a firm release date at all - hell, they've probably never had one at all - and they're avoiding a firm commitment to consumers on the issue."
Maybe you're not familar with the history of Bungie. Let me 'splain it to you.
... which, eventually, was handeled by outsiders. Three years later.
Bungie software was formed in 1991 by Alex Seropian. Late in 1991, Alex hooked up with Jason Jones, who was apparently a Comp Sci major at U Chicago, a classmate of Alex's. Alex convinced Jason to come on board Bungie, and from the mouths of these babes (and a host of others) came Pathways into Darkness, Marathon, Marathon 2:Durandal, and Marathon Infinity. Myth was released in 1997, and Myth II in 1999. Bungie software was making money making games for both the Macintosh and Windows platforms, simultaneously releasing on both platforms.
Apparently, it wasn't enough to make the greatest games. Halo was announced, previewed (by Steve Jobs, no less) at MacWorld, and was going to be a simultaneous release for Macintosh and Windows, as both Myth and Myth II had. That was enough for the Borg Collective's Hive Mind, Bill Gates.
Microsoft enticed Bungie with stories of untold riches, and by all accounts has delivered. The simultaneous release of Halo, announced at MacWorld, became the slave's response of "we were just kidding. We may never deliver Halo for the Mac or the PC"
So, I ask you: how is that not selling out? Bungie Software was making great games (and still is making a great game, by all accounts), and making more money than anyone in Bungie had ever dreamed of. Making enough money to buy themselves new cars, give away computers at trade shows, living what amounts to the pre-IPO/dotcom startup dream. Then, with one whiff of freshly-minted greenbacks, turned their backs on the very customers who had paid all that money for their success.
That, my fellow slashdotter, is how they sold out.
Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former. (Einstein)
I take it that you never completed the original Halo on "Legendary" level, because if you had, you would have already seen a marine hugging an Elite.
It actually made some sense in context, and was funny, in a way.