“New information has come to light revealing the Apple CEO was furious to lose Mac-loving Bungie to Microsoft back when Halo was an unknown quantity,” Crossley reports.
MacDailyNews Take: It wasn’t an “unknown quantity” to Jobs or to anyone else who was at Macworld Expo ’99 where the first Halo movie debuted. We know, we were there. It’s no wonder Jobs was pissed, we certainly were.
Crossley continues, “Ed Fries, the former vice president of game publishing at Microsoft, and the man central to Microsoft’s acquisition of Rare and Bungie, told Develop he had to personally broker a deal with Apple back in 2000 to appease the indomitable Macintosh boss. ‘As soon as we announced we bought Bungie, Steve Jobs called,’ Fries said. ‘He was mad at [Microsoft CEO Steve] Ballmer and phoned him up and was angry because we’d just bought the premier Mac game developer and made them an Xbox developer.'”
Full article here.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Fred Mertz” for the heads up.]
It’s interesting that they “unsold” themselves a few years ago. I wonder what’s next, besides Marathon 4.
This was really so long ago, there isn’t any relevance today. This was before iPad, before iPhone, even before iPod (the original one). Actually, it was even before OS X! They just released blue-and-white G3 PowerMacs back then.
I have a feeling majority readers here don’t even remember those times (some were too young to remember, others were still Windows users back then…).
This was really so long ago, there isn’t any relevance today. This was before iPad, before iPhone, even before iPod (the original one). Actually, it was even before OS X! They just released blue-and-white G3 PowerMacs back then.
I have a feeling majority readers here don’t even remember those times (some were too young to remember, others were still Windows users back then…).
… Apple never bought a company and closed it to MSFT. Was it Logic? Or Final Cut? Or BOTH? Of course, those aren’t “games”.
The thing about games franchises is that, unlike production software, a game generally has a finite “life cycle”. Great games can be expanded upon and updated for quite a while before The New Game comes in and grabs a whole bunch of the market’s attention. Merely Good games are in and out in a season or two. Most PC games are downhill after the third or fourth review.
… Apple never bought a company and closed it to MSFT. Was it Logic? Or Final Cut? Or BOTH? Of course, those aren’t “games”.
The thing about games franchises is that, unlike production software, a game generally has a finite “life cycle”. Great games can be expanded upon and updated for quite a while before The New Game comes in and grabs a whole bunch of the market’s attention. Merely Good games are in and out in a season or two. Most PC games are downhill after the third or fourth review.
Why did Apple need to create it’s own console when Halo was being released for the computer?
It would be an interesting thing to go into bizarro world to see what would have happened if Bungie told MS to piss off.
Why did Apple need to create it’s own console when Halo was being released for the computer?
It would be an interesting thing to go into bizarro world to see what would have happened if Bungie told MS to piss off.
And they moved them from Chicago!
Myth was the sheet though, I agree…
And they moved them from Chicago!
Myth was the sheet though, I agree…
Wait, what? This story is so old. And poorly written too.
Wait, what? This story is so old. And poorly written too.
Blockbuster or not, to this day microsoft is far from breaking even on the xbox when calculating its mind-boggling development costs and years of selling boxes at a loss. Eventual break-even is still doubtful.
Blockbuster or not, to this day microsoft is far from breaking even on the xbox when calculating its mind-boggling development costs and years of selling boxes at a loss. Eventual break-even is still doubtful.
This is the real reason I have a seething festering hatred of Microsoft. Acquiring Bungie and shutting out Mac gamers. For many of us oldtimers, Marathon rules.
I was almost as mad at LucasArts when they broke their promise to ship a Mac version of Jedi Knight
This is the real reason I have a seething festering hatred of Microsoft. Acquiring Bungie and shutting out Mac gamers. For many of us oldtimers, Marathon rules.
I was almost as mad at LucasArts when they broke their promise to ship a Mac version of Jedi Knight
All Hail Marathon and Aleph One!
(Still plays the original a few times a year…)
From North Pole
All Hail Marathon and Aleph One!
(Still plays the original a few times a year…)
From North Pole
@ Steve
So did I! What a dick move!!!!
@ Steve
So did I! What a dick move!!!!
Revenge is sweet (iPod touch, iPad, iPhone, Apple TV…)
Revenge is sweet (iPod touch, iPad, iPhone, Apple TV…)
Microsoft Strategy circa 1999: Let’s buy our way into the video gaming industry! Let’s screw Sony, Nintendo, Sega and Apple!
Method:
I) Make a cheap hardware gaming box that sells it at less than cost!
II) Make our profit off selling games priced at a ridiculous markup!
III) Buy Bungie and make Halo the KILLER GAME, only available on OUR box!
IV) Bribe and coerce other developers to write for our box! We’re good at that!
V) Toss in a bunch of crap games of our own to fill out the box inventory. We’re good at that too!
VI) Name the box something mysterious and exciting. Like… X! Bwahahaha! The Xbox.
VII) Ooo! And let’s give it an impressive looking logo, like A CRACK OPENING! Holy crap! Scary.
And thus The Dark Age of Video Gaming had begun.
Microsoft Strategy circa 1999: Let’s buy our way into the video gaming industry! Let’s screw Sony, Nintendo, Sega and Apple!
Method:
I) Make a cheap hardware gaming box that sells it at less than cost!
II) Make our profit off selling games priced at a ridiculous markup!
III) Buy Bungie and make Halo the KILLER GAME, only available on OUR box!
IV) Bribe and coerce other developers to write for our box! We’re good at that!
V) Toss in a bunch of crap games of our own to fill out the box inventory. We’re good at that too!
VI) Name the box something mysterious and exciting. Like… X! Bwahahaha! The Xbox.
VII) Ooo! And let’s give it an impressive looking logo, like A CRACK OPENING! Holy crap! Scary.
And thus The Dark Age of Video Gaming had begun.
“So buy Sony “
Why take all the baggage.Sony has. Apple should buy Nintendo instead. Replace DS hardware with iTouch/iPad/iPhone. Wii with Mac Mini. If they really want to get back at MS, buy Sega and kill all the XBox games (not sure why bother).
“So buy Sony “
Why take all the baggage.Sony has. Apple should buy Nintendo instead. Replace DS hardware with iTouch/iPad/iPhone. Wii with Mac Mini. If they really want to get back at MS, buy Sega and kill all the XBox games (not sure why bother).