A teen is likely not to abandon his/her parents after moving out, neither can Bungie fully leave Microsoft after becoming independent. That's the appearant case after Frank O' Connor stated that Bungie has no plans on working with other consoles besides the 360...for now.

Though the initial rumors left many an industry watcher frothy with derision, Bungie Studios confirmed in October that it would be amicably splitting from Microsoft upon completion of the final installment its best-selling Halo trilogy. Though Microsoft would retain a minority stake in the lauded studio as well as maintain a publishing agreement, Bungie would return to its bachelorhood days as an independent, privately held developer.

With Bungie no longer tied to Microsoft, many speculated on whether the developer would lend projects to consoles other than the Xbox 360. While the option remains, Bungie lead writer Frank O'Connor has said that the developer isn't going to make the move any time soon, reports European industry news site Eurogamer. "We have no plans to work on any other platforms beyond 360 at this time," replied O'Connor to a fan's inquiry.

Following up O'Connor's statement, production director Jonty Barnes indicated that platforms outside of the Xbox 360 remain a possibility. "We're really focused on continuing our collaboration in making the best games we can, and that right now is on 360," he said. "It's our hope this relationship continues to be our strongest one, as we have a lot of respect for the people we have worked with at Microsoft."

In November, Bungie said that its Halo team was "running full speed" on new games in the franchise. The Kirkland, Washington-based studio also noted that new intellectual properties were in the works, though it declined to further elaborate on what those projects may be.

Storm via gamespot.com »