The contract outlining the agreement between ex-Halo producer Bungie and Activision for a new franchise was made public yesterday. The agreement was released as evidence in the trial between the publisher and ex-Infinity Ward heads Jason West and Vince Zampella.
The document shows that Bungie has agreed to develop a four-game "sci-fiction action shooter" series with Activision, referred to in the document as "Project Destiny".
The first game, which is expected to ship in fall 2013, will be a timed Xbox 360 (and possibly Xbox 3) exclusive, with versions for other platforms to come a year later. The second, third, and fourth games will be released simultaneously on the Durango (Xbox 3), the Orbis (PS4), and PC in 2015, 2017, and 2019, assuming everything goes according to plan.
Bungie will also be responsible for four DLC expansions, codenamed "Comet", to be released in fall 2014, 2016, 2018, and 2020.
The contract states that Activision will retain the rights to the "Destiny" franchise after Bungie completes the fourth game, or the two companies conclude their agreement. Conversely, so long as the agreement stays in tact, Activision is not allowed to develop any side-projects or sequels based on the new IP on their own until after the fourth game has been completed.
In addition to "Project Destiny", the contract also says that Bungie is allowed to use five percent of their staff to work on side-project of their own called "Marathon", which may or may not be a reboot of the company's pre-Halo PC shooter. Activision has agreed to provide more resources for the project over time.
Do you think we'll be seeing more about "Project Destiny" in the near future? Like at E3, maybe? Give us your thoughts in the comments below!
[Via LA Times]
