In a shocking announcement (especially in light of the recent Infinity Ward goings-on), Bungie has signed a 10 year, exclusive, worldwide partnership deal with Activision, which will see the next game from the Halo creators showing up on multiple platforms for the first time.

Said to be a “big action game universe,” Bungie’s next project, and all products based off of this wholly new intellectual property, will be exclusively published and distributed by Activision under this new deal.

Bungie fans need not worry about the status of the developer, as the studio will remain independent and will continue to develop and own their intellectual property (unlike Infinity Ward), which was one of the aims of the company after gaining independence from Microsoft in 2007.

President of Bungie Harold Ryan said of the deal:

“We chose to partner with Activision on our next IP because of their global reach, multi-platform experience and marketing expertise. From working together over the past nine months on this agreement, it is clear that Activision supports our commitment to giving our fans the best possible gaming experiences.”

Activision Blizzard’s Chief Operating Officer Thomas Tippl also chimed in saying:

“Bungie is one of the premier studios in our industry and we are extremely pleased to have the opportunity to work with their talented team over the next decade. Bungie has developed some of the most compelling and successful games, multiplayer experiences and thriving fan communities, and this alliance underscores our long-standing commitment to foster the industry’s best creative talent.

“Our unprecedented partnership with Bungie will enable us to broaden our pipeline of exciting new games as we continue to strengthen our industry position and pursue long-term growth opportunities.”