Activision and Bungie have announced that they have entered into a partnership that will see Bungie develop games that are to be published by Activision during the next ten years.
Bungie broke free from Microsoft last year, and this makes it pretty much official that we won't see any Bungie developed Halo titles after Halo: Reach. One interesting note is that Bungie will retain the rights to the new games they develop and own the IP. To that effect, this is a move similar to what EA is doing with EA Partners. While there are no specifics about the next title to come out of Bungie it will be multiplatform and it will be a "big action" title.
A couple of quotes from the press release:
"We chose to partner with Activision on our next IP because of their global reach, multi-platform experience and marketing expertise," said Harold Ryan, President of Bungie. "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."
"Bungie is one of the premier studios in our industry and we are extremely pleased to have the opportunity to work with their talented team over the next decade," stated Thomas Tippl, Chief Operating Officer of Activision Blizzard. "Bungie has developed some of the most compelling and successful games, multiplayer experiences and thriving fan communities, and this alliance underscores our long-standing commitment to foster the industry's best creative talent. Our unprecedented partnership with Bungie will enable us to broaden our pipeline of exciting new games as we continue to strengthen our industry position and pursue long-term growth opportunities."