Destiny Composer Marty O’Donnell Wins Legal Battle Against Bungie, Retains Stock

Destiny and Halo composer, Marty O’Donnell, won big against Bungie as a court-appointed arbitrator issued a final ruling in his favor following a lengthy legal dispute. Last year, he was awarded a large sum of money when the court found that he was fired without a reason. Then, the developer was asked in a later ruling to return his founders’ shares. Now, another ruling has been issued, ordering Bungie to honor its agreements with O’Donnell. In other words, Bungie will have to let him hang on to his share of stock in the company. 

VentureBeat reports that under this agreement, O’Donnell will not be able to publish his work on Destiny without permission from the copyright owners. While it’s unclear exactly how much Bungie owes him now, just the first payment from the profit-sharing award that he’s entitled to sits at $142,500. Throughout the legal fight, the court heard about Destiny‘s troubled development and O’Donnell’s firing, which Bungie followed up by forcing him to forgo his stock and removing him from the company’s profit-sharing scheme.

“I’m happy this is over, and I’m ready to move on,” he told GamesBeat. O’Donnell joined Bungie in 2000 and is most known for his work on the Halo franchise. A dispute between both parties broke out following Activision’s partnership with Bungie to work on Destiny. O’Donnell an Audio Director at the time, was tasked with creating music for the game, but his interests apparently conflicted with Activision’s who he believed wanted to assume control over the creative process. He said he wanted to preserve Bungie’s “creative process, artistic integrity, and reputation” but Bungie alleges that O’Donnell’s conduct hurt the company, and eventually led to his termination. 

Following arguments from both sides, the court sided with O’Donnell. If you’re interested in seeing the full ruling, click here.

[Source: VentureBeat]

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