When Marcus Lehto, who worked at Bungie as late as just a few years ago and had been there from Halo CE and earlier all the way to a year or two after Reach goes by the studio and says he hardly recognizes but a scant fraction of the people there and that it's changed, maybe the studio has changed.
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Ex-Bungie composer Marty ODonnell wins legal fight (document in the OP)
- Thread starter Steverulez
- Start date
And that's where it should have ended but Marty continued by threatening employees and trying to actually create negative news about a game not only he but hundreds of other people had spent years on. It became entirely about him which is where he went from kind of selfish to all out toxic in my mind.
In business you make deals. Only the most fortunate get to have it their way 100% of the time. This is known. Which is probably why Marty went and founded his own company as opposed to being a part of one. Now he really can make all the decisions but at Bungie he could not and he threw a fit over it that could have cost Bungie everything.
Do you think if Activision filed a breach of contract that Bungie would have survived at that stage? I don't think so. Not unless they ran back to MS if MS would even take them at that point.
DOWN
Banned
After reading the story I'm not sure if all the 'Bungie tried to f**k him over, congrats Marty' commenters read the story.
Sounds like Marty was causing friction because he wanted creative control that the rest of the company and Activision didn't agree with. Love the guy's work and I'm sure his money is deserved, but his firing seems to have more to do with his behavior than anyone else's.
EDIT: ooh that awkwardness when you click on the "Music of the Spheres" link on Marty's new profile web page and it goes to a Bungie.net "Page not found" landing. https://highwiregames.wordpress.com
Sounds like Marty was causing friction because he wanted creative control that the rest of the company and Activision didn't agree with. Love the guy's work and I'm sure his money is deserved, but his firing seems to have more to do with his behavior than anyone else's.
EDIT: ooh that awkwardness when you click on the "Music of the Spheres" link on Marty's new profile web page and it goes to a Bungie.net "Page not found" landing. https://highwiregames.wordpress.com
I agree.
10 years can fly by especially when you work a lot. It still feels like 4 years ago I was in college and I'm 36!
Well they can't considering they have a contract. The leaked one was pretty stringent too, Activision can deny bonuses if scores aren't high, cancel at any time.
Activision doesn't own Bungie though or own the Destiny IP. Activision execs do sit on the board of Bungie right now, so who knows, but to say Activision would stop them from making Destiny or not let them go independent is wrong. They are independent. They just signed a shitty deal with a shitty publisher. I too think the Bungie of Marathon, Halo will be a thing of the past by the time Destiny is done with.
DOWN
Banned
Bornstellar
Member
source
Hockeymac18
Member
I've read similar comments regarding these changes.
I know about Hope For The Future but was curious about the score. I love Paul, but that is an awful music video and song.
My eyes
What even is this.
Twilight Gap
Member
probably the worst thing Bungie has ever done.
Miles Quaritch
Member
Acti being the cunts they've proven to be countless times.
And wow did the leadership of Bungie turn out to be monumental asshats too. Wow...
What the hell happened after they left MS? Acti got their tentacles in deep it seems...
He's one of the original seven founders of Bungie. His music is one of the key reasons Halo was noticed, set itself apart, and became the behemoth that it is. It is extremely within a corporation's interest to keep someone like that happy, and Activision and Bungie clearly did not manage that side of things properly. The notion that Marty O'Donnell's music should be replaced without his knowledge for the game's reveal trailer is absolutely insane. Doesn't really matter how he acted after that. You do that to someone of his status, you're going to get backlash.
His music is good, but that is far from the reason Halo was noticed or even why it set itself apart. It was a great addition to an already great package.
Doesn't matter how big his contributions were, you don't threaten other employees and deliberately halt development. Remember, there are hundreds of people working on the game too.
Nostremitus
Member
Regardless, they stole financial assets from him. It doesn't matter how big of an asshole he is, you can't just take his shit. Fire him, yes, but you can't withhold that which belongs to him no matter how much you dislike him.
Face it Tiger..
Banned
Good.
IMO Marty decided he wanted out of Bungie, and started acting like a baby to try to get fired so that he had a chance to keep his stock options etc (re notice how he didn't do any of these antics in the past when similar or worse things happened) according to his contract and made a bunch of embellished "artistic integrity" type of excuses, and now he got his huge payday and he succeeded in rallying an Internet defense squad to his side against big bad Activision and Bungie.
SolicitorPirate
Member
Honestly surprised at how many people are in full support of Marty here. Read the article, guys. No one came out looking good here.
down 2 orth
Member
I'm curious if he's going to go to the shareholder meetings and shake shit up now as Bungie's legal defence feared he would. Also curious as to how much his shares are worth.
By the way did anyone else read that Gawker article where that one guy lost $300k in shares because his company reincorporated in Canada just so that the new owners could have a full stake in the company? That's cold right there...
By the way did anyone else read that Gawker article where that one guy lost $300k in shares because his company reincorporated in Canada just so that the new owners could have a full stake in the company? That's cold right there...
Didn't see that article? Link? Anyway this kind of practice is far too common in the corporate world... See for example what happened to the founders of Facebook... If your in your company for the stock options you need a corporate lawyer looking out for you and reading everything that you sign very carefully.
down 2 orth
Member
31 Flavors of Bullshit: Your Horror Stories of Working At a Startup It is the last heart-wrenching story in the article.
I think the best path is to just start up your own company, and if you have to hire more employees, keep the numbers as low as is feasible and treat them all to the best of your ability. Its not a fool-proof plan because dealing with employees is for some people the most difficult thing about running a business. But whatever the case, don't let your ego fly too high at the sight of huge income and become a massive douchebag to others like those types of bosses that most of us have had the displeasure of knowing.
Haunted
Member
If you look back at it, it's interesting that the wording for the two major acquisitions/mergers Activision has done in the last decade has been so different.
With Blizzard, there was a key focus on Blizzard retaining its independence and not being influenced by Activision's marketing plans, but with Bungie, we've heard pretty much nothing of that sort except maybe some carefully worded lip service that still left the option open.
And that's basically exactly what happened, eventually. O'Donnell, who was obviously invested in Bungie above and beyond simple financials, hated it. A very human, understandable reaction to what he must have seen as an outside entity destroying the spirit that was the foundation of the studio he helped to build.
With Blizzard, there was a key focus on Blizzard retaining its independence and not being influenced by Activision's marketing plans, but with Bungie, we've heard pretty much nothing of that sort except maybe some carefully worded lip service that still left the option open.
And that's basically exactly what happened, eventually. O'Donnell, who was obviously invested in Bungie above and beyond simple financials, hated it. A very human, understandable reaction to what he must have seen as an outside entity destroying the spirit that was the foundation of the studio he helped to build.
AcePartyN7
Member
I think it's this trailer that they speak about: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ieir3xa8KDo
but I am not sure.I do not recognize Marty style in it and it's a pretty generic music for a trailer.
but I am not sure.I do not recognize Marty style in it and it's a pretty generic music for a trailer.
Ragged Gloves
Member
Doesn't Microsoft still own stock in Bungie?
Yeah I'm pretty sure they still have some stake in Bungie. I can't recall how much exactly though.
Seth Enosh
Member
But Activision didn't acquire/merge with Bungie. Seems like a very different situation than Blizzard.
Bungie is an independent studio that has a 10 year contract with Activision to publish the Destiny franchise. According to the leaked contract from a few years back, it allowed them to work on a side project as well. Considering the cost of HD, multiplat AAA games it was not really feasible for Bungie to self-publish destiny so they had to make a deal with someone to finance the development.
Millions of dollars.
Trickster
Member
down the drain
OverHeat
« generous god »
What the hell on is web site https://highwiregames.wordpress.com/
"He has not announced plans to work with 343 Industries on an upcoming Halo TV series."
????
"He has not announced plans to work with 343 Industries on an upcoming Halo TV series."
????
What makes the "Music doesn't matter" nonsense so funny is that it mattered so much to Activision that they felt they had to change it. Music matters so much in commercials that Activision is willing to shell out tons of it to have a Led Zeppelin tune in the latest commercial despite it not fitting at all, but hey Led Zeppelin was popular right? Activision are the kings of brute force, lowest common denominator marketing.
yeah but he still looks like a saint compared to Bungie and Activision
Haunted
Member
You're right, it was just a partnership kinda deal. And I suppose that would've been the prevalent argument at the time "the Activision deal is a necessary evil", although I still maintain that Bungie, with their pedigree and industry standing at the time could surely have found a better publisher to work with.
But as many others have already said (even at the time), it was a fairly common prediction that the Activision partnership would have some negative consequences and it wouldn't be all roses and money and creative freedom - and I suppose something like this is the result.
Sounds like a typical corporate culture that, while heavily flawed, was at least all in sync with each other.
Uproot that culture and have outside influence, in this case Activision, disrupts that balance of egos and talent that had, until this point, work harmoniously with enough creative freedom and minimal oversight since they had a proven track record of sure-fire success, and watch the glass castle come crashing down.
Sounds like Activision didn't care about that and, to their benefit, did their job of looking after an expensive investment. It's easy to say they should have backed off and let the talent work, and that's partially true.
It was a very volatile situation as any collaborative work requires a certain degree of cooperation, teamwork, and mutual respect. But in this case, Activision didn't respect Bungie's creative pedigree (or Martin's music), and Martin in turn has no respect for Activision's corporate responsibilities.
Everyone and their dog called the 10 year deal a bad decision the second it was announced and who it was announced with. If the situation with Infinity Ward is any indication, Activision doesn't respect the creative people behind billion-dollar successes because they care about a brand, not the people behind the brand, and Bungie and Martin made the mistake of thinking that their brand carried more weight than Activision's bottomless funding.
Nobody comes out of this looking good. It's becoming quite clear, even if Destiny is successful, it's a game being led by businessmen rather than creators. You can see it and feel it in every decision they make, in-game and out, on their forums, through customer service, through how they handle patches and what their priorities are.
"Bungie" as we knew it, during their halcyon days of Halo, really doesn't exist anymore. The leadership and infrastructure has irrevocably changed at a core level. It can still be good, even great, and I'm sure it'll be financially successful, but it's not the same company once celebrated as one of the most gamer-friendly on the market. I didn't even play the Halo games or own an Xbox, but even I was quite aware of just how beloved Bungie was with their fans, how involved and active they were with them on a daily basis and on such an intimate level. No way are we ever going to have anyone stand up to Activision as someone in Bungie once did to Microsoft and argue that "this content should be free eventually because we should invest in players, not DLC".
I'm not happy with Martin's behavior, I'm not happy with Activision's behavior, and I'm not happy with Bungie's behavior. I'm angry at everyone. And Destiny certainly hasn't felt like a "it was worth the hassle" release to justify the whole sordid, stupid ordeal either.
Uproot that culture and have outside influence, in this case Activision, disrupts that balance of egos and talent that had, until this point, work harmoniously with enough creative freedom and minimal oversight since they had a proven track record of sure-fire success, and watch the glass castle come crashing down.
Sounds like Activision didn't care about that and, to their benefit, did their job of looking after an expensive investment. It's easy to say they should have backed off and let the talent work, and that's partially true.
It was a very volatile situation as any collaborative work requires a certain degree of cooperation, teamwork, and mutual respect. But in this case, Activision didn't respect Bungie's creative pedigree (or Martin's music), and Martin in turn has no respect for Activision's corporate responsibilities.
Everyone and their dog called the 10 year deal a bad decision the second it was announced and who it was announced with. If the situation with Infinity Ward is any indication, Activision doesn't respect the creative people behind billion-dollar successes because they care about a brand, not the people behind the brand, and Bungie and Martin made the mistake of thinking that their brand carried more weight than Activision's bottomless funding.
Nobody comes out of this looking good. It's becoming quite clear, even if Destiny is successful, it's a game being led by businessmen rather than creators. You can see it and feel it in every decision they make, in-game and out, on their forums, through customer service, through how they handle patches and what their priorities are.
"Bungie" as we knew it, during their halcyon days of Halo, really doesn't exist anymore. The leadership and infrastructure has irrevocably changed at a core level. It can still be good, even great, and I'm sure it'll be financially successful, but it's not the same company once celebrated as one of the most gamer-friendly on the market. I didn't even play the Halo games or own an Xbox, but even I was quite aware of just how beloved Bungie was with their fans, how involved and active they were with them on a daily basis and on such an intimate level. No way are we ever going to have anyone stand up to Activision as someone in Bungie once did to Microsoft and argue that "this content should be free eventually because we should invest in players, not DLC".
I'm not happy with Martin's behavior, I'm not happy with Activision's behavior, and I'm not happy with Bungie's behavior. I'm angry at everyone. And Destiny certainly hasn't felt like a "it was worth the hassle" release to justify the whole sordid, stupid ordeal either.
HiredN00bs
Member
It is absolutely frustrating to hear that some quarrel with Activision was the first domino, but it couldn't have solely caused this string of events. There was always an undercurrent of animosity between the studio and Marty. He made himself a brand. Most people still don't know Mike Salvatori half as well even though he and Marty worked together for DECADES. Mike still works at Bungie. Why is that? Why didn't he leave with Marty?
The people who are making Marty out to be a saint are likely not aware of these facts.
The people who are making Marty out to be a saint are likely not aware of these facts.
I'm really excited for what the highwire folks are gonna do next. I hope it's a shooter. They're good at shooters.
You do know that liking a game doesn't make it good, right? Good/bad and like/dislike are different axes. I can make a pretty compelling argument for why Mass Effect 2 is bad. It's not hard. There's lots wrong with that game.
You do know that liking a game doesn't make it good, right? Good/bad and like/dislike are different axes. I can make a pretty compelling argument for why Mass Effect 2 is bad. It's not hard. There's lots wrong with that game.
ElRenoRaven
Member
That's the big thing to me. Mike worked with Marty forever. Yet he's still there. You'd think that Marty's other half music wise would have left along with him. Yet he hasn't. This is a man who co-owned a company with Marty too. That says something to me.
SaganIsGOAT
Junior Member
Sounds like Marty was just not gonna take activisiosns shit anymore and wanted to incite rebellion among the ranks. I bet others were more worried about job security than joking Marty's cause. I don't blame them.
BreezyLimbo
Banned
I wonder how many employees that left Bungie acted like babies? How many 'embellished' that artistic integrity?
It's no secret that something happened in development that caused many key members leave Bungie. It's no secret that Bungie has been slowly uprooting and fixing issues within the game that should've been there from day 1.
I mean....Bungie fucked up somewhere along the line that caused two key people to leave before launch. There's a point where you stop blaming the people for leaving, and start blaming Bungie and Activision.
It says that it's a self-interested world. Marty thought about Marty first, and not Mike, and likewise for Mike. Even though they're a team. With Marty's departure, Mike became audio director. Why would he leave with Marty? Marty is older, richer and more well known in the industry. It's not as simple for Mike.
I'm not saying Marty is innocent. But to try and say he should be blamed, I dunno. It's not like Activision didn't do shady as fuck stuff with Infinity Ward causing most of the team to leave and them getting sued and losing that case. Plus now, you have Vic Deleon, a man who enjoys a great rapport with a lot of people likewise agreeing with Griesemer that Bungie has treated ex employees like shit. Griesemer has always been blunt and truthful about the industry.