Bungie, developers of the famed Halo franchise, have just announced that they've signed up with Activision on a 10-year exclusive publishing deal.

The news means that the developers will be bringing their talent and eye for what gamers want to multiple consoles and platforms with new IP (so it seems that Microsoft still has that firm-grip on the Halo series).

This means that the company's ties with the Xbox 360 console maker have been effectively cut, although with it being the dominant non-casual console, we still expect their new titles to be hitting Microsoft's baby (hopefully a Wii shooter will be in the works as well).

What will happen to the Halo series, which really defined Bungie up to now, is unknown. Ensemble Studios (before it was shut) did a fantastic job on Halo Wars, so it wouldn't been unrealistic to see more titles in the same universe.

Activision will be hoping that this helps brush-away some of the issues it's been having with its previous darling studio; Infinity Ward (responsible for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare), which has been subject to controversy recently over royalty payments to the studio founders.

[Develop Online]