Halo MMO reportedly canceled to protect leadership’s stock bonus
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Key points
- Developer Sandy Peterson claims Halo MMO was canceled to protect an executive’s stock bonus.
- The estimated 3.5-year development timeline exceeded a critical date for Don Mattrick’s stock bonus.
- The Halo MMO was codenamed Titan at Ensemble Studios and had an estimated total income of at least $1.1 billion.
Developer Sandy Peterson, who previously worked at Ensemble Studios, claims a Halo MMO, codenamed Titan, was canceled to protect executive Don Mattrick’s stock bonus. As mentioned in the developer’s social media post, the lowest estimate for the game’s total income was $1.1 billion, but “it was all brought to naught when Don Mattrick realized that his stock bonus was based on the income MS had from the games in 3 years.”
The estimated time to develop Titan was 3.5 years, but this was beyond Mattrick’s drop-dead date, referring to a firm, non-negotiable deadline established in a contract or agreement. This means the game would not have contributed income within the necessary three-year window, and thereby not help him achieve his bonus, leading to the firing all of Ensemble and studio closure. Don Mattrick served as President at Microsoft, leading “Microsoft’s Xbox division, driving the Xbox 360 to record-breaking success, and expanding the Xbox Live platform, according to the executive’s LinkedIn page.
The executive departed Microsoft after a controversy in 2013 over the Xbox One. He was responsible for the initial plan to require the console to check in with Microsoft’s servers every 24 hours, which was a highly unpopular move and considered anti-consumer.
Shortly after the controversy, the executive departed Microsoft for Zynga. The executive served as CEO of Zynga for a brief two years, but was reportedly ousted after failing to turn around performance for the studio. He has since departed the gaming industry and is now working as Vice Chair of Photonic Inc. Various, thereby helping him avoid negative PR, which has plagued his reputation in the gaming industry.
Sandy Peterson stated that they were in charge of universe-building, planet histories, alien species, and moire. The player could play as Forerunners or their enemies, the Convenant. Quest lines had all been worked out, homeworlds for species created, and various other world-building frameworks were set up.
Halo 1’s campaign is receiving a full remake through the release of Halo: Campaign Evolved, with Halo 2 and 3 remakes rumored to be in the works. Thankfully, Don Mattrick is no longer around to cancel these titles to protect his stock options.
