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Bungie Hiring PC Developers
Gamespot reports that Halo-maker Bungie Studios is seeking PC developers for an unnamed project. From the article: "Taken in and of themselves, the listings are merely interesting. However, the wording of the graphics programmer job description has many positively convinced that Bungie is porting Halo 2 to the PC, in-house. 'This is an opportunity to influence the direction of Windows gaming technology in MGS [Microsoft Game Studios],' reads the post after first teasing, 'Want to work on the biggest franchises for Microsoft Game Studios?' Since becoming part of Microsoft Game Studios, Bungie has worked on only one franchise for the division--Halo."
...they're hiring Windows developers. Otherwise, I'd be expecting a Linux (or Mac, as Halo was originally intended to be developed for) port.
"[Regarding the 'cloud,'] ownership was what made America different than Russia." -- Woz
maybe they'll actually finish it this time.
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why is this a headline?? a gaming company is hiring a developer. sure, halo is kick ass and can reduce responsible members of society to filthy couch slobs who dual-wield weapons around fantasyscapes with their mouth hanging open and small trails of saliva flowing out....but! a company has a job opening -- woohoo! newsworthy? i think not.
This is silly. My bet is that they're hiring PC developers to not only port Halo 2 but also because PC developers are better suited for next gen consoles. Current gen console developers have dealt their whole lives with limits waaaaay under next gen, while PC games are already there. Just like PC companies like Valve hired movie people when they first started working on their high end next gen content (HL2), a developer like Bungie would have an interest in people who are experienced with advanced technology just around the corner.
Against stupidity the Gods themselves contend in vain.
It would be great to get a job at Bungie.... although once they finish the development of Halo 2 for PC or whatever job they may have, are you still guarnteed a job, or is this more a temp gig?
But more importantly, why would they need to hire someone new to do this? Windows DirectX and Xbox DirectX have been converging all along, and they already ported Halo - but if anything, porting Halo 2 should be easier.
"You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
Never mind that Halo PC started outselling Doom III at a time when Halo PC had been out for months, and Doom III for weeks. Halo PC was one of the crappiest ports ever, and it still did quite well.
English is easier said than done.
A little while ago, MS made this huge deal about a thing called XNA. I don't know exactly what it does or how easy it makes game development, but I do know that it was supposed to further bridge the PC-Xbox platform development gap. With Carmack doing most of his development on the 360, a Windows developer would be right at home making a game on the 360, right?
They're probably hiring people to work on their next game for the 360, I doubt MS would be too thrilled that resources are being spent on a PC title. But then again, I didn't check the link so I could be way off.
"This is considered plagiarism."
Bungie is planning an MMO based in the Halo universe. In order to make the game successful, they will need both PC and Xbox 360 clients. The game will be more action based than most MMOs and will take advantage of integrated voice.
P.S. I'm full of crap
Sometimes my arms bend back.
Hopefully this one has some decent network code instead of the abysmal shit that was in Halo for PC. Pity, too, because it was really fun if you could ignore the incessant lag on a 100Mbps LAN. And if they port it to Windows only, then that's the last sign that they've really, truly sold out. They started out making games for Mac, then went to Mac/PC, then got bought up by MS and started doing XBox only. If they don't put a Mac version out with the PC version, then they can really go fuck themselves bloody with a steel mace.
I didn't know that Bungie was still around...I have somewhat fond memories of playing Marathon, since it was one of the first games I ever really played on a computer. So this isn't just any gaming company, it's Bungie.
The reason for a Halo2 port seems obvous: The goal is to sell more Xbox 360's. So far, there is no killer app for the console. Halo 3 is the obvious current front-runner. But only gamers who own an Xbox or with friends who own an Xbox have been able to play Halo 2. So the excitement is curently limited to customers who are already fans of the Xbox. If Halo 2 is available for the PC, however, then the audience for the game opens up. If the PC version is done well, it can drive more people to the franchise. Which means that the number of people who anticipate Halo 3 increeases, the buzz increases, and hopefully more hype means both more console and title sales and the stealing of PS3's thunder. The timing of hiring developers now, however, makes me question when they would expect to ship Halo 2 PC. If Halo 3 is coming out 'the day PS3 ships', then I doubt the port will be ready to ship before Halo 3. So I'm suprised they are hiring people this late. I think a Halo 2 port to the PC is a no brainer. So is selling it at a loss-leader price, like $30, to increase sales and therefore the potential Xbox purchaser market. But the timing, that's throwing me a bit. i'd expect this to be almost ready to ship by now. That would the product to hit the shelves a month or two before Halo 3, and work the buzz. Unless MS knows something about PS3 that we don't.
It's called hype. It tends to sell things.
You can still play Marathon:
http://source.bungie.org/get/
Yea, that's only because those of us that bought it didn't realize it ran like shit until after we tried playing it. I seriously doubt Halo 2 will enjoy the same success.
I would love to work at a game workshop, especially one owned by MS, so I can be layed off after the project is over.
Doom 3 is a piece of shit. It sold like one. Some accomplishment.