Pick those jaws up off the floor, folks. Halo creator Bungie has signed into a ten year, exclusive partnership with publishing giant Activision Blizzard.

Under the deal, Bungie itself will remain as an independent entity, one that retains ownership to its intellectual properties. Activision, for its part, secures “exclusive, worldwide rights to publish and distribute all future Bungie games based on the new intellectual property on multiple platforms and devices.”

“We chose to partner with Activision on our next IP because of their global reach, multi-platform experience and marketing expertise,” explained Bungie president Harold Ryan. He added, “From working together over the past nine months on this agreement, it is clear that Activision supports our commitment to giving our fans the best possible gaming experiences.”

Beyond allying with Activision, perhaps the most interesting bit of news from this announcement is direct confirmation of Bungie’s multi-platform plans. With Bungie’s roots engraved in the Xbox brand, this represents a significant shift indeed.

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