It's official - all the rumors of a Bungie-Microsoft split have been verified by the companies this morning in a joint press release. 

And it couldn't be friendlier on paper.  Say's Microsoft Game Studios of the split:

“Our collaboration with Bungie has resulted in ‘Halo’ becoming an enduring mainstream hit,” said Shane Kim, corporate vice president of Microsoft Game Studios. “While we are supporting Bungie’s desire to return to its independent roots, we will continue to invest in our ‘Halo’ entertainment property with Bungie and other partners, such as Peter Jackson, on a new interactive series set in the ‘Halo’ universe. We look forward to great success with Bungie as our long-term relationship continues to evolve through ‘Halo’-related titles and new IP created by Bungie.”

Bungie's Harold Ryan responded in like:

“This exciting evolution of our relationship with Microsoft will enable us to expand both creatively and organizationally in our mission to create world-class games,”  “We will continue to develop with our primary focus on Microsoft’s platforms; we greatly value our mutually prosperous relationship with our publisher, Microsoft Game Studios, and we look forward to continuing that affiliation through ‘Halo’ and beyond.”

All niceties aside - I mean, did you really expect some Paris Hilton type drama to unfold here kids? - it's clear that the situation at MS Game Studios had taken the bounce out their Bungie.  But Microsoft, while 'losing' Bungie, will apparently maintain a relationship with Bungie that will include ongoing development in the Halo universe while also enjoying the, currently, over $300million in global sales, giving the ailing Xbox division a long overdue shot in the arm.  Seems a big win for the ole' M$.

The real upside here comes for gamers though - chances are better that we'll see Bungie titles on more platforms than just the Xbox 360 - though Ryan says Bungie's primary focus will be on Microsoft's platforms - hopefully that means at least some PC/Mac versions might once again be in the mix - and not two years later with a hack-kneed conversion.

So what do you make of the move?  Is Bungie being silly?  Is this an indication of Microsoft's inability to handle a hot asset like Bungie?  Leave your comments.