Had anyone told me five years ago that Bungie would ultimately succumb to the Redmond Beast, get acquired and develop THE most anticipated game, perhaps in computer history--except do it for a Microsoft-based console, I'd have believed the part about the most anticipated game, but everything else would have made me think they were insane.

And even today, as I watch it happen, as I try to decipher the Bungie FAQ, as I read the interviews, as I take in the articles and reader responses, even today, it is still so hard to take.

I know they technically don't owe us anything. The FAQ states that "Bungie stands for one thing and that is to make great games." It just so happened that the Mac-faithful were lucky enough to be their platform of choice when they started and built a near invincible reputation. From OUR standpoint, WE made them successful. And that's true. We bought a great product, and financially, Bungie was able to benefit from it. But from THEIR perspective, you have to accept the fact that THEY made THEMSELVES successful. If it weren't for their great products, they would have failed years ago. They just did it in our market.

I know they technically don't know very many of us on a personal level. But didn't they grow to feel like a friend! I always hate seeing friends do something that makes me think they'll end up regretting it, or getting hurt later. I've been lucky in that I've never had a friend die, but somehow, I think I know what that feels like now. I know Bungie isn't dead. In fact, they probably feel more alive than ever. But now they're living in a circle of friends that most of us refuse to enter, and that almost makes it worse.

I've stated before that I don't think they did it for the money. And at least one Bungie principal has stated that they've been offered MORE money SEVERAL times, and recently, too. No, what made this deal irresistible for the Bungie crew was the opportunity to write games for, and in fact, shape the hardware for a console that hasn't been developed yet. They get input on what gets included in the hardware, and they also get to be the primary developer of the titles for that console. They are "THE MAN" for a new system.

What if PlayStation was currently under development, and Sony bought Bungie to head up their games department? Think about how BIG they would become! So from an impartial view (as impartial as I can muster!), this is a SERIOUS coup for Bungie. And they did it on talent and creativity...and a little luck maybe. If the Xbox takes off, Bungie will become huge. If it fails, and I'm not saying I want it to, but if it fails...well that's where things will get interesting.

What if it takes off a little, but never reaches a self-sustaining profit margin? It'll be interesting to see how long Microsoft is willing to pump cash and marketing into it, if they just kill it, or sell it.

If the cash and marketing get infused, it'll be interesting to see how long the key Bungie folk stick with it. Apparently, Xbox is something they really believe in.

What if it doesn't do so well and Microsoft kills it after a year or two? Will the Bungie crew depart together to start over? Allow themselves to be split up to work on Microsoft projects already in existence?

What if Microsoft sells it? Will the Bungie team accept their place in the new company? Leave immediately?

If the Bungie crew does leave, what next?

I guess game consoles became more computer-like once they gained internet connectivity, etc. and Microsoft felt threatened by that (along with everything else!). Color me surprised. But entering this market still seems somewhat futile to me, even for Microsoft. It will be a tough market to crack with the established hardware and titles already out there, but Bungie never could have even dreamed of attempting this alone. Things just don't work that way. Kind of like Marathon's marine: He couldn't have staved off an alien invasion without help--even though his 'help' was a self-aware, rampant AI like Durandal...hmmm. Interesting parallel, isn't it?

I just wish they could have found a way to do it without Microsoft. Anyone but Microsoft. I'd have no problem buying an "HP GameCenter" or an "IBM FunMaster" just so I could play Halo. But Microsoft? AAAUGH! Bungie *HAD* to know this would be a disaster with its core market. The WORST choice. They HAD to know it. And it's not hard to hear Microsoft acquisition executives telling Bungie all the wonderful things they could be doing if they cut the Xbox deal, pausing slightly, and then: "but you'll have to give up the Mac."

I think this is plausible because I know why I've upgraded _my_ machine in the past. It's been software driven. I bought a Q800 in '92, and still had it when I discovered Marathon in early '95. Three years. Within a month, I added a PPC upgrade card. By the next year I had an 8100. That machine lasted three more years--until 99, when I heard about the requirements of Apple's future OS, heard about Halo, and saw Unreal and Quake III.* So I bought a BlueG3. Speaking of Unreal and Q3Arena, I've taken both of those titles to net parties, and you know what? Everyone was really impressed with the look of those games, but we couldn't get them running for one reason or another. So we ended up playing Marathon.

Back to my point: "must have" Mac software that requires more powerful hardware sends buyers marching to Apple's doorstep. And even though it poses no threat, Microsoft still doesn't like that idea. I think they understand this phenomenon, and they act against it every time they "determine that a cross-platform development isn't financially prudent." And when I imagine Bungie saying "OK" to this "but you'll have to give up the Mac." thing--even if they thought about it for a while, even if I can't blame them...well I just get nauseous. Such a sad ending to a great story.

Microsoft. When I hear the word in the context of a buyout (of ANY company), and I mean total absorption, not necessarily the Bungie deal, I think "Well, they're done for. The drive and creativity will get sucked right out of them and the Microsoft corporate culture will replace it with a bureaucratic tangle of red tape." Microsoft won't have a problem allowing Bungie to develop games the way Bungie wants, but if Bungie wants to develop for other platforms, I don't see Microsoft allowing it. To the corporate "parent," it would be a waste of time and resources.

So long, Bungie. If anyone can actually replace not only the playability, but the intelligence you brought to the Mac gaming market, I'll happily buy and play their games. But every now and then I'll look back on 1995-2000, my heart will sink, and I'll just shake my head remembering how great we had it.

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