Microsoft Bungie acquisition rumors cover

Bungie CEO Denies Microsoft Acquisition Rumors

Written by

Published: September 14, 2020 2:08 PM

Earlier today, rumors of a Microsoft Bungie acquisition popped up during the GB Decides podcast. Just a few hours later, these rumors of Microsoft buying Bungie were squashed by Bungie CEO Pete Parsons.

If you're not up to snuff on your gaming history, you may not recall that Destiny 2 developer Bungie was once purchased by Microsoft back in 2000. Seven years later, the company secured its independence and eventually ended up as part of Activision 3 years later. Then, Bungie announced that it was ending its Activision partnership in 2019, once again becoming an independent entity.

Now, new rumors have surfaced on the GamesBeat Decides podcast (via gaming industry tweeter Nibel) which suggested that Microsoft may be seeking to purchase Bungie once again. You can see these rumors discussed for yourself in the video below starting at 1:15:51:

"I have heard they've had those talks, but like, the price is very high," stated Imran Khan on the podcast.

"Me, too," added GamesBeat's Jeff Grubb. "I've heard that [the talks] have fallen through repeatedly and right now, the price is too high. And those talks have stalled."

The discussion soon moved onto other topics such as what's going on with Cyberpunk 2077, but this information was certainly intriguing news to people in the gaming world. The rumors picked up some steam after the weekend; Eurogamer's Tom Phillips independently corroborated the rumors, adding fuel to the fire.

"I've independently heard these talks have taken place, driven on Bungie's side by a desire to raise new funds for the studio, its projects[,] and staff," Phillips said.

Microsoft Bungie acquisition rumors slice

Microsoft Bungie Acquisition Rumors Are 'False,' Bungie CEO Says

The rumors about Microsoft buying Bungie once again were certainly believable — after all, Microsoft has been making serious efforts to acquire studios and expand its library of offerings on PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X. Multiple gaming journalists had sources confirming that acquisition talks had taken place. Ultimately, however, it appears that these rumors might not be true after all.

"This is false," Bungie CEO Pete Parsons plainly stated on Twitter.

Rumors like this are certainly nothing new, especially with so many buyouts and acquisitions taking place in recent years. What's somewhat rarer, however, is for a company CEO to take to Twitter to outright deny rumors such as these.

At this point, I think it's pretty safe to say that the rumors of Microsoft buying Bungie seem unlikely. What we don't know, however, is what really happened here. Was this inaccurate information, a source trolling some journalists, a smokescreen for a deal that fell through, or something else entirely? We can't say for sure, but it was certainly a wild ride.

For now,  Bungie is keenly focused on the future of Destiny 2. The game recently celebrated its sixth anniversary with a cake recipe and a few more hints about its upcoming Beyond Light expansion; you'll be able to enter the new era of Destiny 2 content when it launches on November 10, 2020.

What do you think happened with these Microsoft Bungie acquisition rumors? Do you think there's any chance that Bungie will end up working with another publisher as they did with Microsoft and Activision in the past? Let us know in the comments below!

A photograph of TechRaptor Senior Writer Robert N. Adams.
| Senior Writer

One of my earliest memories is playing Super Mario Bros. on the Nintendo Entertainment System. I've had a controller in my hand since I was 4 and I… More about Robert N