Early this morning, the internet exploded with news that Halo development studio Bungie, formerly BFFs with Microsoft, had entered into a ten-year partnership with Activision, who will be publishing their next big IP. Now, some people might say that the timing of this is rather unfortunate, what with all the shenanigans going on over at Infinity Ward (or what's left of it). In fact, some people might be worried that Activision's influence will dilute Bungie's legacy, or that Bungie will conform to Activision's practice of milking every good thing dry, meaning that we'll see approximately 75 new Bungie titles over the next decade. You know who's really not worried about this whole Activision thing, though? Bungie.

The studio posted a statement on Bungie.net shining just a little bit of light on the big news. We still don't know what this "new universe" is, but we do know that it's been in the works for some time already, meaning that it's not a stretch to imagine we'll find out more at E3 in June.

Here are some of the highlights:

And as Bungie has grown, the industry’s best and brightest have been totally accretive to our own creative margins. It’s no secret that while the full might of our studio has focused on making Halo: Reach, another core team, led by our co-founder and Studio Creative Director, Jason Jones, has already begun laying the groundwork to bring our newest universe, stories, and characters to life.

Today, we’re poised to open a new chapter in Bungie’s history—one that begins with a partnership between Bungie and Activision and ends where we always knew it would, with World Domination. Our Next Big Thing now has a concrete path, leading from our studio to the platforms of our choosing. The business formalities are behind us. Our Constitution remains unchanged. We are still Bungie, still independent, and now we are free to bring our stories to an ever bigger audience.

Next up, the most ambitious game we’ve ever made, Halo: Reach. Built upon ten years of experience developing the Halo franchise, we’ve assembled the best team, the best technology, and the best talent to ensure that Reach is the game our fans deserve. Strap in and buckle up tight, we’re sending our baby out with a bang.

Once the smoke clears, all the pieces will finally be in place for Step 7. Don’t worry, though. We won’t let World Domination go to our heads. We’re gonna keep making kick ass games on our own terms, and since you’ve been so supportive throughout the years, we’d love to bring you along for the ride.

It must be exciting for Bungie to finally take their games multiplatform, and I'm interested in seeing what the studio has planned beyond the Halo universe, but this announcement still seemed to come from out of nowhere. I wonder if all of the bad press surrounding Activision at the moment forced this Earth-shattering proclamation to come at this time, to appease investors and remind the gaming industry that Activision has more than just Infinity Ward going for it. Now that we've had a few hours to process this, what are everyone's thoughts on the big news?