Rockstar Seattlest commenter (ex; you're dead to us, Jake) 8bitjake had the scoop earlier this week for those that were paying attention. He got an email from a friend at the Eastside game studio Bungie:

"So heres my big secret. You should google Bungie + Microsoft + separation this week. You know that big ol BILLION dollar franchise Bungie has created for Microsoft, to show their appreciate Microsoft is letting Bungie leave. Of course Microsoft gets to keep all rights to the Halo franchise, but as today Bungie no longer part of Microsoft. Ask anyone who works there to search the global address book, they're no longer in there. Microsoft was supposed to release the press release today but if they wait till the 10/6 the impact wont effect the quarterly results. However today is the actual official date and the day the NDAs expire, however you still didn't hear this from me."

"Apparently MS just wants Bungie to make Halo for the rest of their natural days, and Bungie doesn't like how MS is constantly trying to "handle" everything they do; the way they market their games, the way they interact with their fans (basically the fact that they do appreciate their fans), and how stingie they are with the profits (comparable to the rest of the industry). So as of today they are their own independent entity. They'll probably make Halo 4 for Microsoft, however hey are also free to create new intellectual properties for whatever system they want. (Even though they prefer the xbox platform)"

"What a way to say thank you."

The news was officially reported all over the place today, but you can go right to the source and read what Bungie itself is saying about the deal.

Bungie has long been built on creativity, originality and the freedom to pursue ideas. Microsoft agreed, and rather than stifle our imagination, they decided it was in both our best interests to unleash it. We’ll continue to make Xbox 360 games, and we’ll continue to make amazing games for MGS. In that regard, nothing has changed. All that has changed is that now Bungie Studios is once again, the property of the folks of Bungie Studios.

Here's an interview and, despite what the guy says, they have got to be popping a few champagne corks over at Bungie today. This is the part of the interview where they talk about how they'd rather gouge their developer's eyes out than ever spend another minute working on Halo:

Kotaku: In the Microsoft press release, Microsoft mentions the possibility that someone else could perhaps work on Halo titles. Is that something that bothers you?

Brian Jarrard: Not at all - in fact, this is already happening with Ensemble Studios and their work on Halo Wars. And, Peter Jackson and his team have a big role in the Halo project that we are collaborating on. Fortunately Halo attracts the best talent in the industry and Microsoft isn't going to run the franchise into the ground or jeopardize the quality bar and fan following we've already established.

Kotaku: How does Bungie feel about the Halo franchise? It has obviously been a huge success, but have does the studio feel like it's time to move on?

Brian Jarrard: Overall we still love Halo. Many of us are currently playing the hell out of Halo 3, despite spending three or more years creating it. While we do have some people who have spent nearly ten years of their lives on this franchise, we have far more who never shipped any Halo game until this latest release. As we continue to grow as a studio, we are able to branch off and allow some people to explore new ideas and IP while allowing others to continue to explore the Halo Universe.