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Last Chance to Buy Bungie Pro (Updated!)

Details inside.

As part of Halo’s transition to Microsoft management, Bungie Pro will soon be going dark. On September 15th, we’ll stop offering the current 6-month subscriptions, and full support will be phased out around March 22nd, 2012.

What happens after September?

Bungie Pro Video will only be offered in pay-as-you-go form, via the Render Minute Packs available through Bungie.net, and you’ll no longer need to be a Pro member to buy them.

More information about the last time to use up your minutes will be available after that March date, but you’ll have until then for sure.

We will NOT be removing Pro features, including expanded File Shares or Bungie Pro Nameplates for any Pro accounts that expire after 9/15, and Microsoft has let us know that once that last Pro subscriptions have expired they intend to allow you to retain your 24 File Share slots.

Group Memoranda 8/24/2011 1:57 PM PDT permalink

A Word on Using Protection

Keep it secret. Keep it safe.

Xbox LIVE Security has notified us of an internet creeper who's registered a fake website to try and trick you into divulging your personal information. Bungie will never ask you for your account credentials and you should never divulge your personal information, especially to online asshats.

Group Memoranda 8/15/2011 9:46 AM PDT permalink

Bungie.net Goes Read-Only [Complete!]

urk writes:

Access...DENIED!
[Override issued]
Access... Granted!

Anything that requires, sign-in (including forums, private groups and messaging, etc.) will be offline for a few hours today while our online team performs some "scheduled maintenance." Remember that cheeseburger you stuffed under the couch cushion? Yeah, we have to clean that up.

As soon as our systems are back online and fully functioning, we'll let you know. Until then, please continue to stare blankly into your monitors.

edit:  As "a few" people might have noticed in the past several hours, we're fully-functional again.

Community, Site Update, Group Memoranda 5/31/2011 10:45 AM PDT permalink

Bungie Beta Tester Survey Relaunched

Back and better than ever!

If you’re interested in spilling your guts about your gameplay habits, the possibility of learning about our next game first, or even being recruited for bona fide beta testing, you should participate by clicking “Beta Tester Signup” from the Games menu above, or by clicking on the fancy new status bar in your Bungie.net profile.

Community, Group Memoranda 4/19/2011 4:17 PM PDT permalink

Rendered Video Traffic Jam

Give it a minute. It's going to space!

We're totally sorry that your rendered videos are moving at a snail's pace. We ran into some technical difficulties over the weekend, and while we've our online team got everything all fixed up, it is going to take a little while before things are moving at optimal levels again. The Hydra is chewing through a sizable backlog right now.

Apologies for the delay. Still friends?

Group Memoranda 4/4/2011 1:56 PM PDT permalink

1500 x 3500

Having trouble baking that cake?

This week's Bungie All Star Challenge has led to a little bit of confusion. What is a megapixel anyway? Existential questions aside, here's a quick breakdown to help you get on track.

The dimensions can be either 1500x3500 or 3500x1500. It depends on whether your card is formatted horizontally, or vertically. See, you're ultimately going to fold it, so technically the front panel is really half the width of the layout (1750 or 750, respectively). If your design spans the entire width and doesn't account for the fold, it's going to make for an odd birthday card.

Example (Not to Scale):

<-------this is the back of the card----------3500---------this is the front of the card------------->


Fold down the center. If you want to design the interior, you'll need to create a separate image using the same parameters for the left and right interior panels. If you're still confused, hit up the local drugstore and emulate the layout of a real birthday card.

Community, Group Memoranda 2/2/2011 9:38 AM PST permalink

Noble Map Pack and DLC Grab Bag are LIVE!

All systems go.

If you've been itching to try out our three newest maps, the Marketplace switch has been flipped and the DLC Grab Bag Playlist is up and running. Of course, you should feel free to continue playing in your routine hoppers, too. Our matchmaking algorithms will automatically search for other players with DLC weighted to give you a nice blend of old and new.

Download the Noble Map Pack

Thanks for playing!

Group Memoranda 11/30/2010 9:55 AM PST permalink

2010 Spike VGA Nominations

"Celebrating the best in this year's gaming."

Spike unveiled this year's VGA nominations and it looks like our little game that could, Halo: Reach, is up for seven. We think seven is a swell number of nominations. We also think Nathan Fillion should have been nominated for best Xbox 360 game. The man is a phenom.

Spike Video Game Award 2010

Group Memoranda 11/17/2010 8:59 AM PST permalink

MLG Does Dallas

For all the marbles. And one hundred thousand dollars.

HBO tipped us off that the 2010 MLG Pro Circuit Finals are kicking off tonight. Halo 3 and Halo: Reach will both be in attendance. And some other games you've likely never heard about.

MLG Pro Circuit Finals

Group Memoranda 11/5/2010 9:15 AM PDT permalink

Bulletproof Challenge Shot Full of Holes

But it's all better now.

Some of you noticed that today's Daily Challenge, Bulletproof, was so challenging that it was downright impossible. It's all better now. Instead of completing three insurmountable rounds in Firefight Matchmaking without dying, all you have to do is finish one with zero deaths. Good luck!

Group Memoranda, Halo: Reach 9/30/2010 9:13 AM PDT permalink

Bungie.net Experiencing Turbulence

Fasten your seat belts and return your tray tables to the upright position.

Nothing major, folks. Just a little bit of chop. As needed, we'll be bringing some secondary features offline to compensate for launch day load. So, if you see your Service Record player model disappear, don't freak out. We'll bring it back online as we normalize.

Group Memoranda 9/14/2010 4:17 PM PDT permalink

Matchmaking Is Back Online

Okay, we checked into it.

Someone flipped the wrong switch. They've been terminated. Thanks for your patience.

Group Memoranda 3/22/2010 3:45 PM PDT permalink

Matchmaking Back Online

Jump back in.

Looks like we've got a bit of a blip on the Xbox LIVE side of things. We're being assured that things are being sorted. Sit tight.

UPDATE: Things got sorted. Go play.

Halo 3, Group Memoranda 3/2/2010 5:00 PM PST permalink

Last Chance to Be a Hero!

Five days and counting.

If you planned on contributing to our charitable "Be a Hero" community campaign for Haiti relief, time is now of the essence. There are only five days left to lend a helping hand through the Bungie Store by picking up a "Be a Hero" t-shirt or any other apparel or accessory item we sell.

...from now until the end of February, we will be donating all of Bungie's profits from the Bungie Store directly to the American Red Cross. If you had your eye on a sweet Bungie hoodie or bag, there’s never been a better time to buy than now since that money will go right to supporting a great cause. Please note that this really only applies to Bungie apparel and accessories in our online store – if you wanted to add an HD TV or Xbox 360 game to your cart at checkout, Bungie doesn’t actually see any real proceeds from those 3rd party items."

Bungie Store - Be a Hero!

Group Memoranda 2/23/2010 1:01 PM PST permalink

Halo: Reach Emblem Contest UPDATED!

Now with more rules!

So, if you haven't heard, we're running a little Halo: Reach emblem contest right now.  If you want details, you can check them out in last week's update.  But really, this small news bite is for folks who are already planning on submitting.  Candland's been powering through the entries and has a few things he'd like to clear up before you hit the send button.  Bam:

"Please don’t send .zip, .rar, or other compressed archives. It can become a security concern opening these files and it creates an extra step for me. If you sent me a compressed file. I threw it away and didn’t look at it. A 256x256 .gif or .jpg should not require any compression to mail anyway.

Secondly, please send me the files directly, don’t send me hyperlinks. Again, there are security issues for unverified links. And again, it creates an extra step for me. If you sent your submission in the form of a link, I didn’t bother clicking it. Send your submission again with the images attached.

Lastly, there are apparently several people that completely misunderstood the contest and sent me their favorite Halo 3 emblem combination. While I am partial to my own, because it looks kind of like a Recon version of Stuntmutt’s One One Seven comic character. I applaud your pride in your personal combination, but alas, it does me this much good: none."

If you've already submitted, don't freak out.  We'll still process yours as is.  This is just for those who are still deep into the creative process.

Group Memoranda, Halo: Reach 1/26/2010 9:07 AM PST permalink

Message to All Friends

Rally up for Haiti relief!

Spread the word, Seventh Column.  We're almost ready to kick off our "Be a Hero" Halo 3 and Halo 3: ODST online charity drive and we need you to recruit anyone and everyone you can.  If you're looking for the full instructions, I'll include them below, but the short form is simple: Change your player emblem to a red heart, play Halo 3 or Halo 3: ODST online on Wednesday and Thursday, and make sure you leave your emblem in place until you get word that the charity event is over.

Here are the details.

1. Round up all of your friends and hop online with Halo 3 or ODST any time next from 00:01AM PST Wednesday, 1/20, through 23:59PM PST Thursday 1/21.

2. Edit your appearance settings so your character is wearing the RED HEART emblem.

a. Press START
b. Select “SETTINGS” / “APPEARANCE”
c. Select “EMBLEM”
d. Select “Hearts” ICON, “Circle” BACKGROUND
e. Back out to the APPEARANCES menu and select “COLORS”
f. Set “EMBLEM PRIMARY” to RED (or MAROON / BRICK / ROSE depending on which game you’re playing!)
g. Set “EMBLEM SECONDARY” to WHITE

3. Once your emblem is set, play! This can be a custom game or a matchmaking game, just make sure it’s played online, on Xbox LIVE, or we can’t track it.

If you keep playing more games through midnight on Thursday, KEEP THE HEART EMBLEM ENABLED or you may not get counted.

The full story can be viewed here.

Group Memoranda 1/19/2010 9:47 AM PST permalink

And We're Back!

Bloated, but operational.

After a little network blip this morning, all Bungie systems are back online and fully operational.  We missed you.  Kinda like one might miss a wart after daubing it with acid for a couple of weeks straight.  (Sometimes, they pop right back out.)

To celebrate our triumphant return to online form, check out this video of some Spartans with strangely elongatred asses dancing in a public parade.  HBO found it.  They're into this fetishist kinda stuff.

Dancing Spartan Parade

Group Memoranda 1/4/2010 10:19 AM PST permalink

Tube Widening Tonight

Upgrades.

The Wolf is on the prowl and that means B.net is getting an upgrade.  It also means you might experience a brief outage if you happen to be online in the wee hours of Wednesday morning.  To keep you up to speed as he ups the speed up Bungie.net, The Wolf prepped you a personal message:

"If you’re like us and tried to swallow a whole turkey in one gulp last Thursday, you probably thought, 'I wish a had a wider pipe between my mouth and my stomach!' Well, we can’t help you there, but we *can* put a wider tube between our servers and your Xboxes. That’s happening tonight at around 2AM PST, give or take. While that work is in progress, Bungie.net will be in read-only mode, and file-sharing will be unavailable in Halo 3 and ODST. If you were planning to spend the 2AM hour posting to the Bungie.net forums, we recommend alternate activities like, well, learning to chew before swallowing. Don’t you have basic table manners?"

Group Memoranda 12/1/2009 1:37 PM PST permalink

B.U.N.G.L.E. Store Updated!

Bubble up, it's time to go shopping.

You know our motto.  We deliver.  Four new items just touched down into the Bungie Store.  Get 'em while the LZ is clear.



B.U.N.G.L.E. Pro T-Shirt

"Drop whatever you're dual wielding and get set to deploy this t-shirt into your stylish wardrobe. You're a Pro. Bubble up, it's time to shine."



blam! T-shirt

"The blam! t-shirt is so blam! awesome that we can't even write a proper blam! description for the blam! thing. Now add the blam! thing to your blam! cart and give us your blam! money."



Property of Bungie.net T-shirt

"Pull this pimpin' tee down around your bulbous noggin' and tell everybody that you're owned and operated by Bungie.net. Then go make us a sandwich."



Marathon Hoodie

"You're probably not going to be able to save enough Bobs for Leela's liking, but picking up this sweet Marathon Hoodie might go a long way toward making things right. Nuke and pave, kill your television, and eat the path - but try and keep this hoodie out of your mouth."

Group Memoranda 11/19/2009 9:23 AM PST permalink

Bungie Store Now Rocking New Stuff

With more stuff coming soon!

Since we love you so very much, we've just deployed a brand new Bungie-branded t-shirt into the Bungie Store to help you stand out in the crowd.  And coming soon, a luxurious Marathon hoodie that'll keep you nice and toasty all through the winter season.  We don't want you to catch cold!
 



BUNGiE Classic T-shirt

Hey, wait a second! Aren’t these just the like t-shirts reserved exclusively for Bungie staff? Who approved this and how are we going to feel special anymore? Better get this classic Bungie t-shirts while supplies last, because we’re going straight to upper management.



Coming Soon!

Group Memoranda 11/17/2009 5:25 PM PST permalink

Want Bungie Pro Render Minutes?

We've got you covered.

Okay, so admittedly it took us longer than we anticipated to get this up and running, but if you have Bungie Pro and you've been anticipating picking up some additional Bungie Pro Video Render Minutes to pad out your standard monthly allowance, your wait is over.  Follow the images below if you need instructions on how to make it all happen.  And if you need to know what in the world this Bungie Pro Video thing we're talking about is, go right ahead and follow this link to get up to speed.


Step One

Register for a Bungie.net Profile and Link your Xbox LIVE Gamertag. (If you've already done this bit, skip to Step Two.)





Step Two

Click into your Service Record





Step Three

Click "Buy More Minutes" from the Bungie Pro applet (it's on your right).





Step Four

 Select the total number of minutes you would like to add to your current allotment.





Step Five

Sign In with your Amazon.com user name and password and complete the sale.




Step Six

Wait for your account to reflect the additional minutes, make your sweet video, and share it with all of your pals (profit).

Group Memoranda 11/11/2009 11:41 AM PST permalink

Bungie Store Updated!

Now with even more stuff!

We've got backpacks, we've got water bottles, and we've even got some battle armor for any Bungie babies your friends and family have dropped feet or head first into this bewildering business we call life!  Click any of the images below to get yourself dropped into a wondrous wonderland of wonderful Bungie merchandise.



Bungie Battalion Backpack

"You've got quite the load to bear, soldier. Ease your burden by packing your personal valuables into this sturdy backpack and strapping it onto your equally sturdy back. There are plenty of compartments, close to a zillion zippers, and there's even a handy dandy pocket to store your portable, field-rated laptop. Product not recommended for military operations."



Bungie Crested Water Bottle

"I am your shield. I am your sword. I also contain 24 ounces of the liquid of your choice."



Many Moods of the SI Water Bottle

"Halo 3: ODST's Superintendent has been through some rough stuff. The power is out, the zebra is as dead as a doornail, and the Covenant aren't ever pretending to clean up after themselves. You'd be pretty scrambled up yourself. Make sure you're taking care of your own body as well as your mind by sipping some crisp, cool water out of this awesome Superintendent-themed bottle."



The Superintendent Turbo Hydration System

"This bottle is suitable for all sorts of refreshments, but we recommend good ol' fashioned H2O. Whether you're on a hike, riding your bike, or kicking some alien ass on the mean streets of New Mombasa, make sure you're prepared for anything by dropping some aqua pura in one of these bottles."



Halo 3: ODST Superintendent Infant Body Armor

"Prepare to Drop your lil' Rookie into this ultra stylish Halo 3: ODST Superintendent-themed Bungie onesie. Lower hatch unsnaps for routine diaper deployment. Infant sold separately."

Group Memoranda 11/10/2009 4:20 PM PST permalink

Share the Love

Like what you see?


Let the world know. 

We're this close to achieving our ultimate goal of World Domination, but we need you now more than ever, Seventh Column.  Your new base of operations comes equipped with upgraded ordnance.  See something you like?  Share it with your friends by clicking on one, some, or all of the social networking buttons we've deployed at the bottom of each and every article we publish to Bungie.net. 

Whether it's your own original stuff that's been accepted to the front page or news directly from the studio, all you have to do to let other people know about it, is click.  Of course, if you want to stay on the receiving end, we've also got links on the front page so you can sign up and get up to speed.  (We promise we'll tone down the RSS Tweets.)


And then they tell two friends...

Site Update, Group Memoranda 9/16/2009 2:06 PM PDT permalink

File Shares Fully Functional

Just in case you were wondering.


File Share maintenance is complete and everything should be back in working order.  If you have no clue what we're on about, don't sweat it.  You didn't miss any fun, just a brief tune up.  Carry on.

Halo 3, Group Memoranda 9/2/2009 9:12 AM PDT permalink