The most disturbing environment in Halo: Reach is one you'll never find. It's stark and absurd: a cavernous stone passage that seems to extend forever, flanked on one side with brackish green water, populated with disembodied air-lock doors, grounded aircraft and hot-pink bands running across the floor, walls and ceiling.
In his combined office and recording studio in Bungie's Kirkland, Wash., offices, Audio Director Marty O'Donnell taps at a keyboard and, in Matrix-esque fashion, a purple alien attack craft dumps into the virtual space. He tosses a grenade at the Banshee and, as he explains that there are 13 separate sound effects triggered here, the explosion bangs against the craft, which rocks in place, sheds fuselage and sizzles. Then, all 13 effects roll down across the computer monitor as individual text markers
Bungie - "Join our development team to see the new updates arriving with Destiny 2: The Final Shape. Releasing on June 4, 2024."
How do composers make the iconic music tracks from games that we love? And just what makes them so memorable?
Amid ongoing anxiety within Bungie following layoffs last year, the studio is now preparing for another shakeup, this time on Marathon.
Talk about mismanaged Bungie is a studio of tremendous potential and have made some of the greatest shooters to date. Sony pushed them to just make another Destiny style game and consult on other studios live service games and are now getting thrown under a bus as the pivot away from predominantly gaas games is unfolding.
I'd love to see a world where Bungie can focus on telling great sci fi stories again away from a live service dungeon but we all know that's a pipe dream
Are you serious? Do you just talk out of your arse naturally, or did it take years of being a POS?
You normally get so offended by internet comments or did it take years of being soft
Yes I see your point mate, someone clearly didn’t read the article.
Specifically the bit:
“Notably, multiple sources at the time and since have shared that Sony has largely left the studio to sort out its own troubles and was not responsible for the layoffs, with CEO Pete Parsons taking responsibility.“
He’s just spouting nonsense
lol what so fucking hilarious is that you called him out so bad he projected him being offended onto you.
Its been well documented that Bungie's management has been more responsible for their shortfalls, even mentioned in said article that we are commenting on.
Its ok, just admit you didn't read the article.
I like how for some, it is never Bungie's fault. Microsoft, Activision, and now Sony - it is everyone else who is pushing Bungie to make all these bad decisions.
Thrown under the bus?
Are you joking? This is all Bungie, we all thought it was 100% Activision but it's clear the higher ups at Bungie don't have a clue how to run the studio and are more bothered about saving their own skin and the money that they rake in.
Sony gave them an extra $1.2 Billion to make sure that employees didn't leave and they didn't have to cut anyones jobs. Where did that money go because Bungie still cut peoples jobs and I bet you the higher management still kept a hold of their big fact paychecks and bonuses.
Sony invested poorly in this and the best thing they can do now is throw the old Bungie management out and take hold of the studio fully.
Don’t throw the baby out with the bath water. Somebody at Bungie is the golden goose making great shooting mechanics, and the rest need to justify their paychecks.
This studio has had three owners and its never worked well with any of them....Management has issues
Worked very well for Microsoft. Microsoft’s mistake was letting Bungie go.
it worked so well with MS that they so wanted to be away from them they bought the company back. Only to do it again with activision-blizzard, and then sold to Sony...Sony shouldn't have bought them...Bungie hasnt been the same for a long time..
very informative.
interesting read.
Seems that individuals these days get so wrapped up in pixel counting that they forget all about the importance of what audio can do for a game. This guy is definitely a difference maker.
The most notable use of audio I can think of this gen is in Dead Space. There were constantly noises around you, and while you can usually tell which ones are just there for background effect in similar games, you really never knew in Dead Space. Sometimes there really was a monster accompanying that echoed sound of something metal falling over down the hall, and sometimes it was nothing but noise. Went a very long way to create a superb sense of atmosphere.
I can't wait to see more of his works. One of the main reasons I can't wait for Bungie's next game. New universe= totally new musical theme.