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Oni: Difference between revisions

124 bytes added ,  24 June 2011
→‎Development: turns out Evans was the real boss of Oni post-Pease, not LeBel as I used to think
m (updating some dates)
(→‎Development: turns out Evans was the real boss of Oni post-Pease, not LeBel as I used to think)
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Work on Oni began in 1997 when Bungie decided to found a second studio, Bungie West. The concept for their first project was devised by Brent Pease, whose primary influence was [[wikipedia:Mamoru Oshii|Mamoru Oshii]]'s animé film [[wikipedia:Ghost in the Shell (film)|Ghost in the Shell]]<sup>1</sup> (adapted from [[wikipedia:Masamune Shirow|Masamune Shirow]]'s [[wikipedia:Ghost_in_the_Shell_(manga)|manga series]]). The name "Oni" (originally intended only as a codename during development) is evidence of the connection; Pease considered its meaning to be "Ghost"<sup>2</sup>.
Work on Oni began in 1997 when Bungie decided to found a second studio, Bungie West. The concept for their first project was devised by Brent Pease, whose primary influence was [[wikipedia:Mamoru Oshii|Mamoru Oshii]]'s animé film [[wikipedia:Ghost in the Shell (film)|Ghost in the Shell]]<sup>1</sup> (adapted from [[wikipedia:Masamune Shirow|Masamune Shirow]]'s [[wikipedia:Ghost_in_the_Shell_(manga)|manga series]]). The name "Oni" (originally intended only as a codename during development) is evidence of the connection; Pease considered its meaning to be "Ghost"<sup>2</sup>.


The designs for [[Konoko]] and Commander [[Griffin]] can be seen to resemble the characters of [[wikipedia:Motoko Kusanagi|Motoko Kusanagi]] and [[wikipedia:Daisuke Aramaki|Daisuke Aramaki]]. Early development even presented Konoko as a [[wikipedia:cyborg|cyborg]], which, together with the tech-crime-fighting setting, bore a strong similarity to the premise of Ghost in the Shell. In August of 1999, Hardy LeBel was brought in to lead the project, and revamped the story<sup>3</sup>. The final version of Oni abandons the cyborg heroine and instead introduces original concepts such as [[Daodan]] and [[SLD]]s.
The designs for [[Konoko]] and Commander [[Griffin]] can be seen to resemble the characters of [[wikipedia:Motoko Kusanagi|Motoko Kusanagi]] and [[wikipedia:Daisuke Aramaki|Daisuke Aramaki]]. Early development even presented Konoko as a [[wikipedia:cyborg|cyborg]], which, together with the tech-crime-fighting setting, bore a strong similarity to the premise of Ghost in the Shell. In August of 1999, Hardy LeBel was brought in as Design Lead, and revamped the story<sup>3</sup>. The final version of Oni abandons the cyborg heroine and instead introduces original concepts such as [[Daodan]] and [[SLD]]s.


Oni was originally expected to be released in the fourth quarter of 1999, but as that date approached, the release date was pushed back. This occurred repeatedly, until finally the rumored release date was as late as March 2001. Much of the uncertainty over Oni's status came from Bungie's well-known reluctance to disclose or adhere to fixed release dates. Some of the delay may have come from staff turnover; Pease left at the end of 1999, and Bungie West also lost one of their two level designers and the sole AI programmer in the same six month period.
Oni was originally expected to be released in the fourth quarter of 1999, but as that date approached, the release date was pushed back. This occurred repeatedly, until finally the rumored release date was as late as March 2001. Much of the uncertainty over Oni's status came from Bungie's well-known reluctance to disclose or adhere to fixed release dates. Some of the delay may have come from staff turnover; Pease left at the end of 1999 (with the Project Lead position being filled by Michael Evans, one of the programmers) and Bungie West also lost one of their two level designers and replaced the AI programmer in the same six-month period between the summer and the end of 1999.


A possible additional factor was the acquisition of Bungie by Microsoft, which was announced in June of 2000 (the details of this are explained in the "Post-release" section below). It is possible that the process of selling the company and the acquisition of Oni by [http://www.take2games.com/ Take-Two Interactive] also interfered with any plans for a more timely release.
A possible additional factor was the acquisition of Bungie by Microsoft, which was announced in June of 2000 (the details of this are explained in the "Post-release" section below). It is possible that the process of selling the company and the acquisition of Oni by [http://www.take2games.com/ Take-Two Interactive] also interfered with any plans for a more timely release.