Bungie has outright denied reports that it was in acquisition talks with Microsoft that ultimately fell through because the studio's asking price was too high.

The rumor first surfaced on a recent GamesBeat podcast, in which two members of the team said they heard about negotiations between the two, but that they never materialized due to high costs; Eurogamer independently reported hearing the same rumor, reinforcing this report Eurogamer has also heard the same rumor on its own, reinforcing this report. [However, Pete Parsons, CEO of Bungie, has responded to it with a single-minded answer.

It is not clear what part of the report Parsons took issue with, i.e., whether negotiations broke down over the price issue or whether negotiations ever took place, but the studio issued a more blanket denial in a subsequent statement.

"All the information and speculation out there is not true. We have a great relationship with many friends who play Destiny and Halo will always hold a special place in our hearts."

In case you forgot, Bungie was once owned by Microsoft. Microsoft bought the studio in 2000 and made "Halo" an exclusive Xbox title. Seven years later, the studio regained its independence, and a few years later signed a 10-year publishing deal with Activision for Destiny. Despite the hype, it was not a smooth road at all, and Bungie pulled the plug on that deal in early 2019.

Venturebeat's Jeff Grubb, who first mentioned the rumor, later said on Twitter that the statement did not mean that a formal move toward an acquisition was underway, noting that "acquisition talks are always going on for everything."