As is circulating the bigwig gaming news outlets as we speak, Halo composer Martin “Marty” O’Donnell has been terminated by Bungie studios.
I'm saddened to say that Bungie's board of directors terminated me without cause on April 11, 2014.
— Marty O'Donnell (@MartyTheElder) April 16, 2014
Bungie has confirmed that O’Donnell is no longer in their employ.
O’Donnell has been with Bungie since their acquisition by Microsoft back in 1999, as is most well known for composing the main theme to Halo that has since become as iconic in modern video game music history as other well-known theme such as God of War and Civilization. He’s also had a hand in the production and sound design for other notable games such as Riven, Oni and was most recently working on composing the music for Bungie’s upcoming game, Destiny.
Speculations have since started to arise in the wake of the split between O’Donnell and Bungie, with fans of O’Donnell’s work wondering if he was simply ousted from the studio without legitamate reason or if there is more to it, and if he’ll end up going to work for Microsoft itself. Obviously in the early revelation of the news to the masses, it’s anyone’s guess until either party discusses matters further. In the meantime, we can all wish Mr. O’Donnell well in his future and hope to hear more from him soon, with whatever company that might be with.
Tags: Bungie, composer, Halo, Marty O'Donnell, News
There certainly has to be more to this. O’Donnell has always struck me as humble and dedicated to his role. My guess, if I had to venture one, would be that he was perhaps working on an outside project in his free time that the board discovered and wasn’t happy about.
Mention of Oni but not Myth. (insert super sad face here)
So, Destiny is going to be his curtain call work for Bungie?