Although it's hard to remember in an era where 343 Studios are spearheading the Halo franchise and Destiny is one of the biggest success stories on the live-service market, Microsoft and Bungie used to be synonymous with one another. Bungie's work on the original Halo trilogy and its two acclaimed spin-offs did a lot to make the Xbox and Xbox 360 household names after all, and while it eventually left to work with Activision, many agree that it excelled most when partnered with the esteemed publisher.
Excitingly, it seemed as though this seminal partnership might be resurrected after several new reports claimed Microsoft was looking to bring Bungie into its first-party lineup. However, it seems the rumor has since been shot down, with the studio's CEO Pete Parsons coming out on Twitter and announcing the claims were "false."
For those who missed the initial rumor, Jeff Grubb revealed he'd heard from multiple sources that Microsoft was looking to acquire the iconic Halo developer on his podcast GamesBeat, with both Imran Khan and the host citing they'd heard Bungie was "too expensive." Allegedly, there'd been numerous attempts to form a partnership between the pair, but every time the talks fell back to the company's steep price point which Microsoft was unwilling to pay. Grubb later followed this up on Twitter, revealing that fans probably shouldn't think about the dealings too much. "Acquisition talks are always happening all the time for all kinds of stuff," the journalist stated, reminding fans that they shouldn't "take this as anything more than business as usual."
Eurogamer later chimed in on the story, stating that its sources had heard Bungie was interested in a partnership with Microsoft so that it can "raise new funds for the studio, its projects, and staff." Bungie has been doing some really great work over the last few years, with Destiny 2 currently sitting as one of the most successful multiplayer experiences in the world, so elements of the rumor - such as the studio's high price point - were easily believable.
Some will no doubt be frustrated that the rumors aren't legitimate, with Microsoft fans likely excited about the thought of a potential Bungie homecoming, but it's worth noting that the company is currently experiencing one of the best stints of its career. It's likely a strong sign that it's not pursuing big publisher deals at this point in time, meaning it can continue focusing on developing Destiny into its biggest and boldest franchise to date without intervention.