View source for Oni

[[Image:Windows (UK) box art - front.jpg|thumb|250px]]
{{Hatnote|For other articles under the name "Oni", see [[Oni (disambiguation)]].}}
'''Oni''' is an action video game developed by [[Bungie West]], a satellite studio of [[wp:Bungie|Bungie]], and released in the U.S. on January 29, 2001<!--
-->{{ref|name="GOD release"|note=[https://web.archive.org/web/20010617133132/http://www.godgames.com/main.php?section=news&page=press&pr=ONI_Ships Godgames.com, "Gathering of Developers Ships Oni Nationwide for the PC and Macintosh", Jan. 29, 2001]. This is referring to the U.S. release; see {{SectionLink||Release}} for info on other releases.}}<!--
-->{{ref|note=[https://www.gamespot.com/articles/oni-receives-final-approval/1100-2676645/ GameSpot, "Oni Receives Final Approval", unknown date].}}<!--
--> for Windows, Macintosh, and PlayStation 2. See [[Credits]] for a complete list of the names behind Oni as well as links to interviews with key members of the Oni team.
{{TOClimit|2}}
==Inspiration==
[[Image:Early Konoko 1 color.jpg|thumb|250px|Early concept art by [[Alex Okita]]. Under Konoko's eyes are what we would now call "SLD markings", indicating her cyborg nature at the start of the game's development.]]
The concept for Oni was devised by Brent Pease, whose primary influence was the animé film ''[[Ghost in the Shell]]''.<!--
-->{{ref|note=[http://web.archive.org/web/20010302193919/http://www.insidemacgames.com/previews/99/oni/oni2.shtml Inside Mac Games, "Sneak Preview: Oni", 1999].}}<!--
--> Pease was working at Apple on the 3D engine [[wp:QuickDraw 3D|RAVE]], and was in contact with Bungie because he frequently provided support to developers. He began pitching his concept for an animé-styled game with a mix of gunplay and melee combat to Alexander Seropian and Jason Jones at Bungie.

An appealing component of Pease's pitch was apparently that his work would provide Bungie with a fully 3D engine for cross-platform (Macintosh and Windows) development, something that Bungie did not possess yet (their previous "3D" games used what we now call 2.5D graphics). However a condition of Pease's pitch was that a new studio would be formed around him in California so that he didn't have to move to Bungie's hometown of Chicago. It took one year of conversation with Seropian before the project was greenlit.<!--
-->{{ref|name="OBO Brent interview"|note=[http://oni.bungie.org/special/part1/brent.html Bungie.org, "Interview with Brent Pease", 1999].}}

Work on Oni finally began in April 1997 with the founding of Bungie West, with the initial employees being Pease and Michael Evans, who had also been working on game-related technology at Apple. Pease's and Evan's first step was to begin programming Oni's engine while gradually hiring employees to produce concept art and game content. The first of these hires was [[Alex Okita]] as concept artist (and eventually character modeler).

"Oni" was meant to be a development code name that referenced the game's inspiration – Pease considered ''oni''{{apos}}s meaning to be "ghost".{{ref|name="OBO Brent interview"}}<!--
-->{{ref|group=notes|note=However Hardy LeBel, the writer of the story, indicated [http://carnage.bungie.org/oniforum/oni.forum.pl?read=19851 here] and [http://carnage.bungie.org/oniforum/oni.forum.pl?read=18292 here] that he understood "oni" to mean "demon" and had written the final story with that in mind. The final story incorporates many elements of the mythical oni, as explored in {{SectionLink|Oni (myth)|Connections to the game}}.}}<!--
-->{{ref|group=notes|note=At one time during development, the name "Mnemonic Shadow" was considered according to the [https://marathon.bungie.org/story/newjan-feb01.html Marathon Story Page].}}<!--
--> The characters [[Konoko]] and [[Griffin|Commander Griffin]] of the Technology Crimes Task Force are analogous to [[wp:Motoko Kusanagi|Motoko Kusanagi]] and [[wp:List of Ghost in the Shell characters#Chief Daisuke Aramaki|Chief Aramaki]] of Section 9 in ''Ghost in the Shell''. Early development presented Konoko as a [[wp:Cyborg|cyborg]], furthering her resemblance to Motoko.

Alex Okita cited ''[[Bubblegum Crisis]]'', ''Akira'' and ''[[Trigun]]'' as influences in addition to ''Ghost in the Shell''.<!--
-->{{ref|note=[https://web.archive.org/web/20170705124855/http://www.glixel.com/interviews/oni-bungies-classic-inspired-by-ghost-in-the-shell-w474297 Glixel, "Flashback: 'Oni', Bungie's Cult Classic Inspired by 'Ghost in the Shell'", Mar. 30, 2017].}}<!--
-->{{ref|note=[http://oni.bungie.org/special/part1/alex.html Bungie.org, "Interview with Alex Okita", 1999].}}<!--
--> He particularly cited Kenichi Sonoda, character designer of ''Bubblegum Crisis'', as an influence on his work.<!--
-->{{ref|note=[http://web.archive.org/web/20010118230100/http://www.onicore.com/interviews/alexokita.html OniCore, Interview with Alex Okita, 1999].}}<!--
--> Later, [[Lorraine McLees]] also showed her familiarity with Sonoda and ''Ghost in the Shell'' creator Masamune Shirow in [[:Image:Konoko_Variants.jpg|a sketch]] showing Konoko in three different styles. In August of 1999, Hardy LeBel was brought in as Design Lead and revamped the story.<!--
-->{{ref|note=[http://web.archive.org/web/20010727151534/www.insidemacgames.com/features/00/lebel/ Inside Mac Games, "Interview: Oni's Hardy LeBel", 2000].}}<!--
--> He cited ''[[Neon Genesis Evangelion]]'' as a personal influence when doing so.<!--
-->{{ref|name="conquer"|note=[https://web.archive.org/web/20041209033107/http://www.apple.com/games/articles/2001/02/oni/ Apple.com, "Conquering Demons: Bungie on Oni", Feb. 2001].}}<!--
-->{{ref|note=[http://carnage.bungie.org/oniforum/oni.forum.pl?read=4618 Oni Central Forum, "Re: The Analytical reasons behind Oni's influences", Sep. 2, 2000].}}<!--
--> The final version of Oni abandoned the cyborg nature of the heroine and introduced original concepts such as the [[Daodan Chrysalis]] and [[SLD]]s.

''Further reading:'' [[Oni/Early Story|Early story]], [[Oni/Positioning|Positioning statement]], [[:Category:Concept art|Concept art]].

==Hype==
[[Image:1998 trailer logo.jpg|link=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_AhPwfYFcA4|thumb|Click the image to watch the unofficial trailer that Bungie West released in 1998.]]
[[Image:1999 trailer opening.jpg|250px|link=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YLZ2hJZvrmo|thumb|Click the image to watch the official trailer from 1999.]]
The earliest online hype came from the existing Bungie community.<!--
-->{{ref|group=notes|note=[https://marathon.bungie.org/story/newmay-june98.html Oni discussion] on the Marathon Story Page. Bungie fans first started talking about the newly-announced Oni (and the E3 1998 trailer) back in May-June 1998, unaware that it would not release for another two and a half years.}}<!--
--> As information began to come out about Oni, a dedicated sub-community of the Bungie fandom emerged in the form of Oni Central, a news site and forum.

Bungie West [[:Image:Sell sheet - features.jpg|initially promised]] various ambitious features such as human-like AI, sophisticated melee combat, realistic level architecture, complex particle dynamics, battles with a large mech (the "Iron Demon") and multiplayer capability. Two trailers were made for Oni, one in 1998 and one in 1999, reflecting the visions for the game during its time in development. These trailers and various screenshots were analyzed eagerly for evidence of Oni's ground-breaking features.

After E3 1999, Oni received the Game Critics Award for "Best Action/Adventure Game".<!--
-->{{ref|note=[[wp:Game Critics Awards#Best Action/Adventure Game|Wikipedia, "Game Critics Awards"]].}}<!--
--> This award is given to games exhibited at that year's E3, which are usually still in development and expected to release soon.

There was an initial onslaught of advertising which saw Konoko appear on many gaming magazine covers, but when it became clear that Oni's development was missing internal deadlines (as discussed below), Bungie suspended the advertising of the game so as not to expend their marketing budget before Oni was even released.<!--
-->{{ref|name="advert"|note=[http://carnage.bungie.org/oniforum/oni.forum.pl?read=4570 Oni Central Forum, "Re: Matt- could you address this?", Aug. 29, 2000].}}<!--
--> At the same time, Bungie's main office in Chicago had their own game under development; previously known only by its code name "Blam!", in 1999 it came to be known as "Halo" and slowly drew attention away from the oft-delayed Oni as images and trailers for it began to appear.

''Further reading:'' [[Trailers]], [[:Category:Promotional art|Promotional art]], [http://oni.bungie.org/special/ Oni Central interview with Bungie West].

==Troubles==
[[Image:Oni MP at MacWorld NY 1999 2.jpg|thumb|250px|The canceled multiplayer mode.]]
[[Image:ManPlant12.jpg|thumb|250px|You can compare the lighting of the environment above to the [[:Image:Ch._2_dynamo_room.jpg|lighting it has now]].]]
Oni was originally expected to be released in the fourth quarter of 1999,{{ref|name="advert"}} but as that time approached, the release date was pushed back to Q1 2000.{{ref|group=notes|note=[[:Image:Info sheet.jpg|This info sheet]], while it's not clear where it was used, shows that Bungie thought the game was right around the corner. The date on the original document is Sep. 29, 1999, giving them no more than six months to finish the game….}} This occurred repeatedly, until finally the rumored release date was as late as March 2001.<!--
-->{{ref|group=notes|note=Discussions on Oni Central Forum of: a [http://carnage.bungie.org/oniforum/oni.forum.pl?read=2533 fall 1999] release date, a [http://carnage.bungie.org/oniforum/oni.forum.pl?read=1129 summer 2000] release date, a [http://carnage.bungie.org/oniforum/oni.forum.pl?read=4084 fall 2000] release date, and finally a [http://carnage.bungie.org/oniforum/oni.forum.pl?read=4699 spring 2001] release date. These "release dates" were generally rumors, ephemeral dates used by online stores for pre-orders, or vague estimates by Bungie PR, not official statements. Nevertheless, it was clear that Oni was taking longer than planned to finish, which was a cause of some concern among Bungie fans.}}<!--
--> Some of the uncertainty came from Bungie's typical reluctance to announce or adhere to fixed release dates; additional confusion came from the multitude of other parties that eventually became involved in Oni's release: Take-Two, Gathering of Developers and Rockstar.

However, unbeknownst to the public, development of Oni was troubled from the start. The team was young and inexperienced, and development suffered from a lack of direction. A great deal of code had been written and assets created without producing a story that was playable from start to finish. Transferring data from the professional software used for level modeling and animation into Oni wasn't even possible until the very end of 1997.<!--
-->{{ref|group=notes|note="After almost a year all they had were some stick figures walking in a box; hardly a killer demo, much less a new frontier in gaming. […] Eventually, Brent had a 'eureka' - just before New Year's Eve 1998, he had a breakthrough. He was able to match the power of these professional tools with their new engine." [http://web.archive.org/web/20010302193919/http://www.insidemacgames.com/previews/99/oni/oni2.shtml Inside Mac Games, "Sneak Preview: Oni", 1999].}}<!--
--> It became increasingly became clear to management back in Chicago that the game was not going to be ready by the end of 1999.

When Hardy LeBel was added to the team as Design Lead in mid-1999, he leveraged his greater experience in game development to focus the development efforts and help produce a shippable product. At the same time, turnover at the Bungie West office began with the departure of the AI programmer in the summer of 1999 (a replacement would not be onboarded until January 2000).<!--
-->{{ref|note=[http://carnage.bungie.org/oniforum/oni.forum.pl?read=1808 Oni Central Forum, "I'm pretty sure Chris Butcher has joined Oni", Jan. 23, 2000].}}<!--
--> The end of 1999 saw the departure of one of the level designers, and then Brent Pease himself (with his Project Lead title being passed to Michael Evans).

Evans, LeBel and the team began honing the gameplay, shaping the final story, and figuring out what features or content would have to be dropped in order to ship the game before it was too late; Bungie was secretly suffering from serious money problems (see {{SectionLink||Buyout}}).

In May 2000 it was announced that multiplayer was being removed from the game due to latency issues and lack of time to create suitable arena levels for network play. The mecha enemy known as the Iron Demon and an additional level of the game were also cut due to lack of time to complete them. In order to address performance issues, graphical niceties such as lightmaps and realtime shadows were replaced with simpler implementations and polygonal detail was removed from levels.

In June 2000 it was announced publicly that Bungie had been acquired by Microsoft. This caused an upset among Bungie's fan base, which mostly consisted of Mac users. They considered Microsoft to be Apple's nemesis, and now the company behind the upcoming Xbox console had taken the most popular game developer from the Mac world and would be incorporating them into their office complex in order to turn Halo into an Xbox launch title. The effect of the acquisition on Oni's development was dire: it meant that Bungie West had a few short months to finish their work and join the rest of Bungie at Microsoft's headquarters in Redmond, Washington.

In order to ship the game by Take-Two's deadline, the Bungie West staff worked massive overtime for several months straight.<!--
-->{{ref|group=notes|note=For a while Take-Two [https://web.archive.org/web/20000711074317/http://ps2.ign.com/news/20661.html was aiming for] a release of Oni alongside the launch of the PlayStation 2 in North America, but it was delayed multiple times after that point in order to get the game to a point that was considered shippable.}}<!--
-->{{ref|group=notes|note=Michael Evans said, "Most of us were working 14 hours a day 7 days a week" in [https://web.archive.org/web/20010128191200/http://hypothermia.gamershardware.com/interviews/interview_oni.html this interview]. Art lead Steve Abeyta recalled "70+ hour weeks for months on end" in [https://oniforum.bungie.org/viewtopic.php?pid=4260#p4260 this forum thread].}}<!--
--> During this "crunch" period, the unexpected departure of the graphics programmer led to his replacement and an overhaul of the graphics code to fix bugs with certain 3D cards and to improve performance.<!--
-->{{ref|group=notes|note=Stefan Sinclair tells the story in the Description section of [https://archive.is/njEe3#:~:text=Fun%20fact this eBay auction] of how he was sent in by Bungie to pick up where the previous programmer left off in August 2000.<!--We know that he replaced the previous programmer in August 2000 because that's when Stefan started asking questions on the Khronos.org forum about OpenGL ^_^. This can be confirmed by looking at the dates on his source files in the Oni codebase.--> After having rewritten much of the core graphics routines, Stefan alluded to the massive performance boost he gave the game in [https://community.khronos.org/t/how-expensive-are-redundant-state-changes/38974/4 this forum post].}}<!--
--> Technical and/or gameplay issues required all 14 levels to have their geometry significantly altered over the course of 7 months.<!--
-->{{ref|name="conquer"}}<!--
-->{{ref|note=[http://carnage.bungie.org/oniforum/oni.forum.pl?read=19648 Oni Central Forum, "Re: Oni basic questionare", Jul. 6, 2002].}}<!--
-->{{ref|group=notes|note=Also see [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4v_elVuwx0c&t=698s Hardy LeBel, "Learn Level Design Class 9 - Integrating Game Mechanics", Dec. 17, 2016], at 11'38", where he talks about a "month of weekends" spent adding the [[Jello-cam|jello-fix boxes]].}}<!--
--> According to Hardy LeBel, "It was as bad a crunch as there has ever been in the video games industry."<!--
-->{{ref|note=[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jbrPu15jjPs&t=960s mrixrt, "Bungie's Forgotten Franchise - Oni", Mar. 11, 2019], 16 minute mark.}}<!--
--> It is only due to this final push that a playable and enjoyable game was forged out of their years of prior work.

''Further reading:'' [[Timeline of development]], [[Pre-beta content]], [[Pre-beta features]], [[Multiplayer]].

==Completion==
[[Image:MG UK cover.jpg|thumb|250px|A preview of Oni from 1999. There was seemingly much more coverage of Oni in 1999 than when it released.]]
Oni went through a short period of beta testing, starting just before September 2000,<!--
-->{{ref|note=[http://carnage.bungie.org/oniforum/oni.forum.pl?read=4556 Oni Central Forum, "New news groups?", Aug. 28, 2000].}}<!--
--> during which leaked beta builds of the game surfaced on the Internet.<!--
-->{{ref|note=[http://carnage.bungie.org/oniforum/oni.forum.pl?read=6634 Oni Central Forum, "Leakage?", Nov. 27, 2000].}}<!--
-->{{ref|note=[https://archive.ph/4ZH4n Usenet alt.games.tombraider thread, "ok wtf!", Nov. 5, 2000].}}<!--
--> As Bungie West reached the end of development, Oni's publisher, Take-Two Interactive, granted them an extra month to polish the game, even though it would mean missing the holiday season.<!--No official citation for this because it's in the private full interview video with Hardy, but see 33:48 in that video.--> This final period of asset development spanned October 2000, during which time the training level was added.<!--
-->{{ref|note=[http://carnage.bungie.org/oniforum/oni.forum.pl?read=5646 Oni Central Forum, "Re: is the "new' movie really the old trailer", Oct. 30, 2000]. Also, a gold master candidate produced on Oct. 30, 2000 already contained the training level. The timestamp on the Windows retail game data is Nov. 3, 2000, so all assets were done by that point.}}

The Windows version was [[wikt:gold master|gold mastered]] in November 2000 after fixing some final bugs in the engine,<!--
-->{{ref|note=[http://carnage.bungie.org/oniforum/oni.forum.pl?read=6377 Oni Central Forum, "ONI gone GOLD", Nov. 20, 2000].}}<!--
--> and the Mac version was finalized in December after Mac-specific bugs were resolved.<!--
-->{{ref|name="Mac GM"|note=See [http://carnage.bungie.org/oniforum/oni.forum.pl?read=7653 Oni Central Forum, "Re: It's coming... soon", Dec. 18, 2000], which showed that the Mac demo would not be ready until the Mac version of the game reached Gold Master status, and [http://carnage.bungie.org/oniforum/oni.forum.pl?read=8412 Oni Central Forum, "MAC DEMO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!", Dec. 22, 2000], celebrating the release of the demo. However, the official confirmation of Mac GM status didn't come [http://oni.bungie.org/newsarchives/2001/jan01.html#gold until Jan. 3, 2001].}}<!--
--> The PlayStation 2 version did not reach gold status until January 22, 2001, one week before the release date that had been announced in November 2000, indicating additional difficulties with the port's engine code.<!--
-->{{ref|note=[https://web.archive.org/web/20001213051800/http://www.imgmagazine.com/news/story.php?ArticleID=1400 IMG News, "Oni Release Date", Nov. 8, 2000].}}<!--
-->{{ref|note=[https://web.archive.org/web/20010128150200/http://www.dailyradar.com/news/game_news_6691.html Daily Radar, "Oni Gets SCEA's Approval", Jan. 22, 2001].}}<!--
--> The Windows demo, released in mid-December,<!--
-->{{ref|note=[http://carnage.bungie.org/oniforum/oni.forum.pl?read=7479 Oni Central Forum, "ONI DEMO!", Dec. 17, 2000].}}<!--
--> contained [[CHAPTER_01_._TRIAL_RUN|Chapter 1]] and [[CHAPTER 04 . TIGER BY THE TAIL|Chapter 4]]. A second demo was released in late December with Chapter 1 and [[CHAPTER 02 . ENGINES OF EVIL|Chapter 2]] instead. The Mac demo, released a few days after the original Windows demo,{{ref|name="Mac GM"}} only ever contained Chapters 1 and 4.

As Oni finally neared completion, Take-Two began their own advertising campaign, as they were in the process of taking over the Oni [[wp:Intellectual property|IP]] (see {{SectionLink||Buyout}}). Promotional artwork was produced by Lorraine McLees as well as artists commissioned by Take-Two, and a four-issue comic book was produced under Take-Two's supervision and published by Dark Horse. Take-Two's advertising efforts, however, seem to have been focused on the PlayStation 2 version of the game.

''Further reading:'' [[Dark Horse comics|Dark Horse's ''Oni'' comic]], [[:Category:Advertisements and magazine covers|Advertisements and magazine covers]].

==Release==
[[Image:Mac (US) box art (holographic) - front (SDR).jpg|thumb|250px|The holographic gatefold box, seemingly only released in the United States.]]
{{HoverGIF|pos=right|img=Showcase GIF 1 still.jpg|gif=Showcase GIF 1.gif|caption=Konoko fights off a Fury and Tanker at the same time.}}
Oni was finally released, much later than originally expected, on January 29, 2001 in the United States.<!--
-->{{ref|note=[http://oni.bungie.org/newsarchives/2001/jan01.html Oni Central News Archive, Jan. 2001].}}<!--
--> The versions for Macintosh and Windows retailed in the U.S. for $39.95 and the PlayStation 2 version retailed for $49.95.<!--
-->{{ref|note=See [https://web.archive.org/web/20010205103400/http://store.bungie.com/info/80 Bungie Store: Oni Bundle] for prices on Mac/Win and PS2, and [https://web.archive.org/web/20010419103127/http://www.gamestop.com/product-detail.jsp?origin=genrPSX2-Fighting&sku=280086 GameStop.com: Oni] for proof that game stores were selling Oni for the PS2 at the $50 price point. The UK price seems to have been £30 per [https://web.archive.org/web/20010417161303/http://www.pcgamer.co.uk/games/gamefile_review_page.asp?item_id=6816 this review].}}<!--
--> The game was rated "T" for Teen by the [[wp:Entertainment Software Rating Board|ESRB]].{{ref|name="GOD release"}}

Oni was translated into other languages: Russian, German, French, Italian, Spanish, Chinese and Japanese.<!--
-->{{ref|note=[https://web.archive.org/web/20160224215330/http://oni.bungie.org/forum/viewtopic.php?id=2102 Oni Central Forum, "What language is your copy of Oni in?", Sep. 2011].}}<!--
--> These localizations included re-dubbed dialogue, except for the Chinese localization which only translated the in-game text. The localizations were critical to building Oni's fan base, much of which is outside of primarily-English-speaking countries. Additional distributions of the game in smaller markets only translated the box and manual and did not change any of the data on the game disc. The European-language releases for Mac and PlayStation 2 were delayed until March 2001. The Japanese releases for Windows and Mac didn't come out until the fall of 2001.

Oni's storyline is fairly straightforward, although it has been called "understated". Because the story takes place over about a week and a half in the game's timeline, there is little room to develop the characters or setting, although large amounts of additional information can be found in consoles scattered throughout the levels.

The developers achieved a unique blend of gunplay and hand-to-hand combat, with fluid controls and a camera that ensures that the action is always visible. The guns are a mix of ordinary ballistic and unconventional sci-fi weaponry, and weapon handling places some emphasis on realism: Konoko only carries one weapon at a time, and a gun's ammo is tracked persistently whether it is being handled by the player or an enemy. Weapons and melee have some aim assist to compensate for the third-person camera making precise aim difficult. The melee component of the game is particularly complex, employing over 2000 animations, and is frequently the main element that fans point to when praising the uniqueness of the gameplay.

Oni uses an in-house graphics engine developed from scratch for this game and never used for any other game; it was optimized for handling levels with larger indoor environments than typical games of the time. The texturing in the game is minimalist, a style chosen to try to match the look of [[animé]]. The graphics are limited to basic texture mapping, pseudo-reflection mapping and pseudo-lightmaps (achieved through vertex shading).

''Further reading:'' [[Localizations]], [[Releases]], [[Gameplay]], [[Chapters|Plot summary]].

==Reception==
{{HoverGIF|pos=right|img=Showcase GIF 2 still.png|gif=Showcase GIF 2.gif|caption=An explosion goes off as Konoko runs through the Cargo Hangars.}}
The overall consensus of the critical reviews was that the game was good, but not great; Oni has a [https://www.metacritic.com/game/oni-2001/ metascore] of 73/100 from critics, but an 8.4/10 from the website's voters.

Game reviewers often criticized the understated plot and the lack of variety in mission objectives. Common additional complaints centered on the sparse environments, a lack of interactivity with the environment, character models clipping through walls, and a lack of mouth movements when characters speak during cutscenes.

Many fans who'd followed the game's development were let down that the game did not deliver on all of its promises. The most notable shortcoming was the absence of LAN multiplayer, which had been featured in playable demos at expo booths in 1999 and 2000. Previously hyped features were missing, such as the AI characters being able to run for help and work together. This was attributed to the turnover in the AI engineering position after the original programmer was not able to complete all the tasks in the timeframe that she stated she would.<!--
-->{{ref|note=[http://carnage.bungie.org/oniforum/oni.forum.pl?read=19661 Oni Central Forum, "Re: More questions... (mainly for chef...)", Jul. 7, 2002].}}<!--
--> There was also disappointment at the cutting of some planned content, detailed under {{SectionLink||Troubles}}.

Nevertheless many players enjoyed the core gameplay immensely and found the story's concepts intriguing. Much fan fiction was written, and a vibrant modding community was formed in the interest of polishing the game further, adding new content, and even recreating cut content that had been seen during development.

''Further reading:'' [[Reviews]], [[:Category:Screenshots|Screenshots]].

==Buyout==
{{Quotebox|title=Take-Two 10-K (1999)|width=365px|quote="In November 1999, we acquired 19.9% of the outstanding capital stock of Bungie Software Products Corporation for $5 million, of which $4 million was paid and $1 million is payable in May 2000. Bungie is a leading developer of software games for the PC platform."{{ref|name="SEC 1999"|note=[https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/946581/0000891554-00-000145.txt SEC 10-K filing for Take-Two Interactive, Oct. 31, 1999].}}}}
{{Quotebox|title=Take-Two 10-K (2000)|width=365px|quote="In June 2000, the Company sold its 19.9% equity interest in Bungie Software (“Bungie”) to Microsoft Corporation for approximately $5,000[,000] in cash. The Company did not realize any gain or loss on this transaction. Separately, the Company sold its exclusive Halo publishing and distribution rights to Bungie for $4,000[,000] in cash, a royalty free license to Bungie’s Halo technology in connection with the development of two original products and all right, title and interest to the Myth franchise and the PC and PlayStation(R) 2 game, ''Oni''. The Company recorded this transaction as net sales of $5,500[,000] after giving effect to the receipt of $9,000[,000] in cash and $5,800[,000] of assets (consisting of $2,800[,000] relating to Oni, $1,500[,000] relating to Myth and $1,500[,000] relating to the license to use Halo game engine technology for two original products), net of $9,300[,000] of assets sold."{{ref|name="SEC 2002"|note=[https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/946581/000112528202003845/b320556.htm SEC 10-K filing for Take-Two Interactive, Oct. 31, 2002].}}}}
Bungie had seemed to enjoy great success as an independent publisher ever since they released [[wp:Pathways into Darkness|Pathways into Darkness]] in 1993. However, Bungie was initially a Macintosh developer, and even their domination of the Mac's small game industry meant limited success in real financial terms<!--
-->{{ref|group=notes|note=Dean Takahashi's book "Opening the Xbox" claims on [https://web.archive.org/web/20210324173502/https://books.google.com/books?ei=A1mlT672KIG29QSbz-HyDQ&id=sJi2AAAAIAAJ&dq=Opening+the+xbox&focus=searchwithinvolume&q=Bungie page 238] that a Bungie game never sold more than 200,000 units, but that number is based on a misunderstanding, because the Chicago Reader article below talks about an ''initial shipment'' of Myth II numbering 200,000 units, and also states that the first Myth game sold 300,000 copies total.<!--Alex Seropian also told me personally that Marathon sold over 1 million copies, but I have no citation for that except a screenshot taken on Discord :-) --Iritscen-->}}<!--
--> (though Bungie also began porting their games to Windows starting with Marathon 2). Bungie took advantage of their indie status to avoid the strict deadlines which are normally enforced by video game publishers, refusing to release their games until they were totally satisfied with them.

It is believed that Bungie began suffering from a shortage of cash around 1998 when the [[Myth#Uninstaller bug|Myth II uninstaller bug]] was discovered and cost them $800,000 to correct.<!--
-->{{ref|note=[https://chicagoreader.com/news/monsters-in-a-box/ Chicago Reader, "Monsters in a Box", Mar. 23, 2000].}}<!--
--> This might have been difficult to absorb for a studio not accustomed to a disciplined release schedule. The next game to release after Myth II was to be Oni in 1999, but as Oni's release date began to slip further and further, it became clear that Bungie had underestimated the time required to finish the game by more than usual; in the meantime, Bungie was bankrolling two studios instead of one. Thus, the decision was made to partner with Take-Two Interactive; on August 12, 1999, it was announced that Take-Two would acquire 19.9% of Bungie in exchange for the publishing rights to Oni and Halo.<!--
-->{{ref|note=[https://web.archive.org/web/20000118055725/http://pc.ign.com/news/9525.html IGN, "Take-Two Take Bungie", August 12, 1999].}}<!--
--> Take-Two also began work on a port of Oni for the upcoming PlayStation 2 console.

This deal didn't seem to change business much for Bungie, especially since another studio was assigned by Take-Two to perform the PlayStation 2 port (Rockstar Canada, now known as Rockstar Toronto). But considerably more shocking news was revealed on June 19, 2000, when Bungie announced its acquisition by Microsoft.<!--
-->{{ref|note=[https://www.ign.com/articles/2000/06/20/microsoft-buys-bungie-take-two-buys-oni-ps2-situation-unchanged IGN, "Microsoft Buys Bungie, Take Two Buys Oni, PS2 Situation Unchanged", Jun. 19, 2000].}}<!--
--> It turned out that Bungie's monetary woes had not been solved by Take-Two's influx of cash, and so Peter Tamte, Bungie's executive vice president, had been tasked with finding a buyer for the company. Take-Two acquired (among other things) all rights to the Oni and Myth IPs in exchange for its stake in Bungie and its publishing rights for Halo. Take-Two valued the Oni IP at $2.8 million, and the Myth IP at $1.5 million.{{ref|name="SEC 2002"}}<!--
-->{{ref|group=notes|note=The sale of Bungie to Microsoft has an interesting historical footnote: according to Ed Fries, who was VP of game publishing at Microsoft, Steve Jobs angrily called MS CEO Steve Ballmer immediately after the Bungie acquisition was announced; sources within Bungie have stated that Apple themselves had been close to offering to buy Bungie at the time. In order to appease Apple (a business partner of Microsoft) over the loss of a major Mac game developer, Microsoft helped form a new company which would publish a Mac port of Halo as well as other games. It was named Destineer, and headed up by none other than Peter Tamte of Bungie. Destineer would go on to publish a port of Halo for the Mac in 2003. (sources: [http://web.archive.org/web/20210116004457/https://www.mcvuk.com/business-news/publishing/steve-jobs-raged-at-microsoft-over-game-studio-sale/], [http://web.archive.org/web/20201001195523/https://www.mcvuk.com/development-news/ex-bungie-dev-apple-got-close-to-buying-us/], [https://web.archive.org/web/20181019075755/http://www.insidemacgames.com/features/view.php?ID=173], [https://www.vice.com/en/article/the-complete-untold-history-of-halo-an-oral-history/])}}

The acquisition of Bungie by Microsoft also meant the dissolution of Bungie West as Bungie moved all their employees to a single office in Redmond, Washington. Most Bungie West staffers stayed with Bungie and went on to contribute to the Halo series.

''Further reading:'' [[Rights]].

==Sequel==
[[Image:Oni 2 - Initial Attack.jpg|thumb|An uncompleted level from Oni 2.]]
Clearly Take-Two expected big things from Oni (see their valuation of Oni above, as well as their promotional efforts under {{SectionLink||Hype}}). They seemed particularly enthusiastic about the version of the game which they were porting to the PlayStation 2; the console was set to release in North America in October 2000. (In the end, the port came to be regarded as an inferior version of the game due to technical limitations and control issues.)

At first, Take-Two seemed intent on investing in Oni as a franchise. Shortly after Oni's release, a simple game billed as an Oni prequel (developed by Quantum Sheep) was released for [[wp:Wireless Application Protocol|WAP]]-enabled cell phones.<!--
-->{{ref|note=[http://web.archive.org/web/20020221045402/http://www.fgnonline.com/pc/news/17352.html Fastest Game News Online, "Oni Prequel Announced", Feb. 6, 2001].}}<!--
--> More significantly, it was rumored<!--
-->{{ref|note=[http://oni.bungie.org/newsarchives/2001/apr01.html Oni Central News, Apr. 1, 2001].}}<!--
--> that Take-Two had put Oni 2 into production at Angel Studios; however, no sequel was ever officially announced. In 2016, an actual development build of the cancelled sequel was leaked.<!--
-->{{ref|note=Documented by the game preservation YouTube channel PtoPOnline [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZItobLIJJMY here].}}<!--
--> Interviews with former employees of Angel Studios revealed that the game had been in development for about two years without a clear direction, and the troubled project was finally cancelled when the studio was acquired by Rockstar in late 2002 and renamed Rockstar San Diego.

''Further reading:'' [[Oni (PlayStation 2)]], [[Oni 2 (Angel Studios)]], [[:Category:Oni (WAP) game images|Oni (WAP version)]].
{{clearall}}

==Future==
[[Image:Valentine - textless.jpg|thumb|Many players still fondly remember Oni.]]
Take-Two has sold off some dormant franchises to outside developers, although Oni is not one of them. Upon the separation of Bungie from Microsoft in 2007, there was fervent speculation about Bungie returning to their older franchises. In an interview, Bungie's CEO at the time, Harold Ryan, was asked specifically about Oni:

:;4Players
::Since we're on the subject of strong franchises: is there perhaps a chance to bring back Oni?<!--"Strong franchises"... I guess that's some kind of joke? :-\ -Iritscen-->
:;Harold Ryan
::(laughs) Oni isn't currently one of those projects we're looking at, but one should never say never.<br> We'd be happy to work with the individuals who made Oni.<!--
-->{{ref|note=[http://nikon.bungie.org/misc/trans/4players_hr_sk_interview.html 4players.de interviews Shane Kim and Harold Ryan, Oct. 5, 2007] (translated from [https://web.archive.org/web/20211031100011/https://www.4players.de/4players.php/dispbericht/Allgemein/Special/1846/5870/0/Microsoft.html original]).}}

One thing is certain: the current Bungie staff has little in common with the group that produced Oni (there is only one Oni developer still working at Bungie – Chris Butcher). There is probably little sentimental or monetary incentive for the studio to buy back the IP and produce a sequel.

When Oni was released, Bungie did not hold to their usual practice of releasing level-building tools for their games, since professional and costly software was used to produce Oni's levels.<!--
-->{{ref|group=notes|note=3D Studio MAX ($3,495) and the Character Studio plugin ($1,500) for character modeling and animation, and AutoCAD ($3,750) and Lightscape ($500) for modeling and lighting the levels, which would come to a total of $9,245. <!--
-->(sources on tools used: [http://carnage.bungie.org/oniforum/oni.forum.pl?read=2805], [http://oni.bungie.org/special/part1/brent.html], [http://carnage.bungie.org/oniforum/oni.forum.pl?read=5996], [http://web.archive.org/web/20010302193919/http://www.insidemacgames.com/previews/99/oni/oni2.shtml], [http://web.archive.org/web/20000817001446/http://www.insidemacgames.com/features/00/dunn/p2.shtml]; <!--
-->sources on prices of tools: [https://web.archive.org/web/20100724143804/http://area.autodesk.com/maxturns20/history], [https://web.archive.org/web/19990428235644/https://www.jerrypournelle.com/computing/january99.html], [https://archive.is/5QiXc], [https://www.shapr3d.com/history-of-cad/autodesk-and-autocad], [https://www.techmonitor.ai/technology/lightscape_upgrades_3d_graphics_visualization_tools])}}<!--
--> There was a plan to release information on the game's file formats to aid modders in developing their own tools, and to also release the tool that Bungie West developed for importing data from the professional software they used,{{ref|name="OBO Brent interview"}}<!--
--> but by the time of Oni's release, ownership had transferred to Take-Two, so Bungie no longer held the rights to the code and tools.<!--
-->{{ref|note=[http://carnage.bungie.org/oniforum/oni.forum.pl?read=5185 Oni Central Forum, "Re: Ok Matt, you knew we'd ask...", Oct. 5, 2000].}}<!--
--> Thus, it was left to the fans to create modding tools after investigating the inner workings of the game on their own.

Since Oni's release, the fan community has been working on mods and writing gameplay and modding tools for the game. Gradually the modding abilities of the community have extended to nearly every aspect of the game. The game applications for Windows and macOS are also maintained and improved through patches. Various fan projects have taken on the subject of an "Oni 2" storyline.

''Further reading:'' [[History of Oni modding]], [[Introduction to modding]], [[Anniversary Edition]], [[:Category:Gameplay tools|Gameplay tools]], [[:Category:Patches|Engine patches]], [[Oni 2|Oni 2 (fan works)]].

----

==References==
===Footnotes===
{{Columns|2|{{Reflist|group=notes}}}}

===Citations===
{{Columns|2|{{Reflist}}}}

[[Category:Oni history]]