Destiny and Halo composer, Marty O’Donnell, has spoken out about his infamous split with Bungie for the first time since his termination, revealing that he was “surprised” by the way he was fired. In an interview with IGN, O’Donnell said that disagreements arose over Destiny‘s creative and business decisions, leading to him and some Bungie staffers bumping heads.
There were things that were being re-jiggered, and my frustration with some of the business and creative decisions started to mean that I was on this side of the divide and everybody else was on this side. And, as much as we tried to bridge it, it just didn’t seem like it was going to get bridged.
The ‘why’ question is actually still a question for me. I don’t know why. I was surprised.
O’Donnell later acknowledged that parting under the circumstances was the right thing to do but that he wasn’t happy with the way he was let go. He also said that he was hoping that the relationship between himself and Bungie could be mended.
I really was hoping it could be mended. Now, it’s quite possible that it couldn’t be mended, and I was just…a thorn in the side of finishing Destiny. Maybe I just wasn’t as good of a leader and helper at that point, because we were on such different sides. So, I’m not saying it wasn’t the right thing for us to part ways; it probably was. I just don’t think it was done in the best way.
Bungie did end up having to pay for firing O’Donnell “without cause.” Following a highly publicized legal battle, the studio was asked to pay the composer a hefty sum of money, return his founder’s shares, and honor its agreements with him.
[Source: IGN]
