Disney Takes a Bungie Jump with Wideload

By Geoff Duncan September 8, 2009

Disney Interactive has announced that it is acquiring small Chicago-based game house Wideload Games…and The House of Mouse swallowing up a small game studio wouldn’t be all that newsworthy until one considers that Disney is getting Bungie co-founder Alex Seropian as part of the deal. For folks who’ve been off fighting aliens on another planet for the last several years, Seropian was one of the creators of games like Marathon, Myth, and the wildly successful Halo franchise. Seropian will come on board at Disney Interactive as the group’s newly-minted “vice president of creative,” and the acquisition marks Disney’s latest effort to move beyond a video game business based on media properties like Hannah Montana, Pixar films, and Kim Possible and into major-league territory in the console game arena.

Financial terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.

“Joining Disney is an ideal next step, both for our studio and me,” Seropian said in a statement. “At Wideload, we’ve conscientiously built a forward-looking approach to game development that borrows many techniques from the film industry. Now, Wideload will be a part of one of the largest, most respected entertainment companies in the world.”

Seropian left Bungie to found Wideload in 2004; in 2007, Bungie broke loose from Microsoft, although the company continues to work on the Halo franchise and Xbox 360 titles.

The Wideload acquisition follows Disney’s hiring of famed game developer Warren Spector (creator of Deus X) back in 2007, and the company’s announced plans to acquire super-hero house Marvel Entertainment, which would bring major franchises like Spider-Man, Iron Man, and the X-Men under the Disney umbrella.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics

Microsoft

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Geoff Duncan writes, programs, edits, plays music, and delights in making software misbehave. He's probably the only member…

Gaming

The video game industry has laid off thousands this year. Here’s what that means for you

game developer layoffs january 2024 overwatch 2

Layoffs have unfortunately become a nearly nonstop occurrence in the video game industry over the past year. In 2023, over 10,000 workers at game studios lost their jobs, according to data from Game Industry Layoffs. In January 2024 alone, Kotaku reports that over 6,000 developers have already been laid off.

Layoffs at Microsoft hit particularly hard for players, as nearly 2,000 Microsoft developers were let go after years of optimistic promises from Xbox leadership over the Activision Blizzard acquisition, and a survival game project was canceled. While that's been the biggest wave so far this year, we've seen plenty of other companies cutting staff, from Riot Games to Eidos.

Gaming

The 4 best monitors for Xbox Series X in 2024

Xbox Series X Stylized Graphic

The Xbox Series X is a delightful console, but can ironically be a headache to get a suitable monitor for. Why? It can't necessarily take advantage of all of the stats the best gaming monitors are going to be able to give it. It's rated to run 4K at 120Hz max. This means the usual high definition, high refresh rate lists of monitors — what gamers typically go for — is thrown out the window. However, with lower requirements, there are actually also lower quantities of monitor for you to choose from without, essentially, paying for extra. No matter what your situation, however, here are the best monitors for the Xbox Series X that you can buy right now.
The best monitors for the Xbox Series X in 2024

Buy the for a monitor that is the right price and tuned to the needs of the Xbox Series X.
Buy the for a larger monitor with some fun extra features.
Buy the for one of the best gaming monitors out there that will also work great with the Xbox Series X.
Buy the for a serviceable budget gaming monitor for Xbox Series X gaming.

Gaming

Xbox lays off 1,900 developers, cancels Blizzard’s survival game

A hunter crouches before footprints in Blizzard concept art.

Concept art from a now-cancelled Blizzard survival game. Blizzard Entertainment

Microsoft is laying off around 8% of its Gaming Workforce, affecting game developers across Xbox, ZeniMax Media, and the newly acquired Activision Blizzard.