OFFICIAL RULES

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN.

By entering the Design Your Own Halo: Reach Emblem Contest (the “Contest”), you (or, if a minor, your parent or legal guardian) agree to abide by these Official Rules and the decisions of the Microsoft Corporation (the “Sponsor” who may also be referred to below as “Microsoft” “we”, “us” or “our”), and the judges which shall be final and binding on all matters pertaining to this Contest.

1. Contest Description: This is a skill-based Contest. The object of this Contest is to create an original emblem to be used as a decorative element for Spartan armor in the Xbox 360 game, Halo: Reach. For purpose of this Contest, each original emblem you create and submit in the Contest will be called an “entry.” All eligible entries received will be judged using the criteria in Paragraph 4, and the judges will select one person who will receive the prize described below.

2. Eligibility: You are eligible to enter this Contest if you are:

· a legal resident of the 50 United States, District of Columbia or Canada (but not a resident of Quebec);

· at least thirteen (13) years old at the time of entry; and

· not employed by us, or any of our or their respective parent companies, affiliates, subsidiaries, participating vendors or advertising or promotion agencies, or anyone working directly on this program, product and promotion.

If you are a minor, you should ask your parent’s or legal guardian’s permission prior to submitting an entry in this Contest. This Contest is void outside the geographic area identified above and wherever else prohibited by law.

3. Start And End Dates: The Contest begins at 12:01 AM Pacific Time (“PT”) on January 22, 2010 and ends at 11:59 PM PT on February 5, 2010 (“Entry Period”).

4. Entry Requirements: All entries must be received by 11:59 PM PT on February 5, 2010 to be eligible for judging. An entry must meet the following requirements:

· The Emblem must be on original work of no more than two colors.

· You may not use any existing corporation’s logos, trademarks or other identifiable images.

· Images must not contain National flags or symbols, or anything that could be perceived as offensive or insulting.

· Your entry must be something the judges feel would make a worthy addition to the Halo: Reach armor customization suite.

· Your entry must be original, must not have been previously published or submitted as part of any other contest and must have been created and owned exclusively by you.

Entries may not contain, as determined by us, in our sole and absolute discretion, any content that:

· is -blam!-ly explicit, unnecessarily violent or derogatory of any ethnic, racial, gender, religious, professional or age group; profane or pornographic;

· promotes alcohol, illegal drugs, tobacco, firearms/weapons (or the use of any of the foregoing) or a particular political agenda;

· is obscene or offensive;

· defames, misrepresents or contains disparaging remarks about other people or companies;

· contains trademarks, logos, or trade dress (such as distinctive packaging or building exteriors/interiors) owned by others;

· contains copyrighted materials owned by others (including photographs, sculptures, paintings, and other works of art or images published on or in websites, television, movies or other media);

· contains materials embodying the names, likenesses, voices, or other indicia identifying any person, (other than the member of your family or community for you have received consent) including, without limitation, celebrities and/or other public or private figures, living or dead;

· communicates messages or images inconsistent with the positive images and/or good will to which we wish to associate; and/or

· violates any law.

We reserve the right to reject any entry, in our sole and absolute discretion, that we determine does not meet the above criteria.

5. How To Submit Your Entry: You may only submit one (1) entry. If you submit more than one (1) entry, all entries submitted after the first entry will be disqualified. To submit your entry, visit http://www.bungie.net and follow the directions provided to register and submit your emblem. Lost, late, incomplete, inaccurate, stolen, misdirected, undelivered and/or garbled entries as well as entries generated by any script, macro or other automated means will be disqualified.

6. The Judging Of Entries: A panel of judges will review all eligible entries received and select one winner based upon the following criteria:

[50%-] Creativity and originality;

[25% -] Design of the emblem

[25% -] Suitability for use as a badge of honor and decoration within the Halo: Reach universe.

The judging process will be overseen by judges from within Bungie. The decisions of these judges are final and binding. If we do not receive a sufficient number of entries meeting the entry requirements listed in these Official Rules, we may, at our discretion, select no winner at all. In the event of a tie between any eligible entries, the tie will be broken by an additional judge who will the judge the entries that are tied based on the criteria listed above.

Important Information About Your Entry: You (or, if a minor, your parent or legal guardian) warrant and represent that:

· your entry is your own original work;

· it has not been previously published or submitted in any other contest;

You waive any claim of infringement (including without limitation copyright, trademark, patent, trade name, trade secret, etc.) against the Promotion Parties (which is defined below) based upon their use of your entry.

In the event of any dispute regarding whether you submitted a particular entry, you must provide us with proof that you are the authorized account holder of the e-mail address associated with the entry in question.

When you submit your entry it becomes our property and it will not be returned.

By submitting your entry, you (or, if you are an minor, your parent or legal guardian):

When you submit your entry it becomes our property and it will not be returned. By submitting your entry, you (or, if you are a minor, your parent or legal guardian):

· Understand that you are granting us and our designees an irrevocable royalty-free, fully paid up worldwide right and license, in all media (now known or later developed) to: (i) use, review, assess, test and otherwise analyze your entry and all its content in connection with this Contest; and (ii) feature your entry and all its content in connection with the promotion of this Contest and Microsoft products and services.

· forever release the Promotion Parties from any and all claims you might have in connection with the use of your entry; and

· agree to sign any necessary documentation that may be required for us and our designees to make use of the rights you granted above.

· Understand and acknowledge that the Promotion Parties may have developed or commissioned materials similar or identical to your submission and you waive any claims you may have resulting from any similarities to your entry.

· Further, you understand that Microsoft cannot control the incoming information you will disclose to our representatives in the course of entering, or what our representatives will remember about your entry. You also understand that Microsoft will not restrict work assignments of representatives who have had access to your entry. By entering this Contest, you agree that use of information in our representatives’ unaided memories in the development or deployment of Microsoft products or services does not create liability for Microsoft under this agreement or trade secret law. You will not receive any compensation or credit for use of your entry, other than what is described in these Official Rules.

· Other than what is set forth above, Microsoft is not claiming any license or ownership rights to your entry.

While we reserve these rights, we are not obligated to use your entry for any purpose, even if it has been selected as a winning entry. If you do (or, if you are a minor, your parent or legal guardian does) not want to grant us these rights to your entry, please do not enter this Contest.

Please note that following the end of this Contest your entry may be posted on a website selected by us for viewing by visitors to that website. The Promotion Parties (which is defined below) are not responsible for any unauthorized use of your entry by visitors to this website. While we reserve these rights, we are not obligated to use your entry for any purpose, even if it has been selected as a winning entry. If you do (or, if you are a minor, your parent or legal guardian does) not want to grant us these rights to your entry, please do not enter this Contest.

7. Winner Notification: If you are the winner (or, if you are a minor, your parent or legal guardian):

· the prize, which is the chance to have your emblem design featured in the game, has no cash value and will simply be implemented in the game software.

· you will notified by phone or by U.S. mail, overnight mail, or e-mail; and

· you may be required to sign and return an Affidavit of Eligibility/Liability/Publicity release, unless prohibited by law, within ten (10) days of date of prize notification.

· If you are a minor in the state in which you reside we will notify your parent or legal guardian, who must sign all documents required under these Official Rules.

If you are a winner and you (i) do not reply to such notification or the notification is undeliverable, (ii) do not return the Affidavit of Eligibility/Liability/Publicity release completed and signed within ten (10) days of date of prize notification or if you (iii) are not otherwise in compliance with these Official Rules, you will be disqualified and, we may, at our discretion, notify a runner-up or, if a random drawing prize, randomly select an alternate winner from among all remaining eligible entries received for that monthly drawing.

If you are a winner and accept the prize, you agree that we and our designees shall have the right to use your name, company name, trademarks and logos, city and state of residence in any and all media now or hereafter known worldwide in perpetuity, without additional compensation, notification or permission, unless prohibited by law.

8. Prize: If you are a winner, your emblem design will be rendered to our specifications and included in the game software as a selectable emblem to decorate multiplayer armor (Estimated Retail Value (“ERV”): US$0). Total ERV of all prizes: US$0.

If you are a winner:

· you may not exchange your prize for cash or other merchandise;

· you may not transfer your prize to someone else. If you do not wish to or cannot accept the prize, it will be forfeited and we may, at our discretion, award it to a runner-up. We may, however, award a prize of comparable or greater value, at our discretion;

· you are responsible for all federal, state, provincial and local taxes (including income and withholding taxes) as well as any other costs and expenses associated with accepting and/or using the prize that are not included above as being part of the prize award;

· you understand you are accepting the prize “as is” with no warranty or guarantee, either express or implied by us; and

· you understand that all prize details shall be determined by us.

9. Limitations of Liability: The Promotion Parties are not responsible for any liability, cost or injury incurred by Participants arising out of or in connection with the Contest, including, without limitation, the following.

· lost, late, incomplete, inaccurate, stolen, fraudulent, misdirected, undelivered, interrupted, damaged, delayed or postage-due reports, entries, mail or other information;

· any incorrect or inaccurate information or error or defect of any kind regardless of who it is caused by, or the means by which it occurred; or

· equipment, software, network or systems that fail, have viruses or other problems, are breached or that cause injury or damage to participants or their property.

By entering this Contest, you agree to, and hereby release and hold harmless Microsoft, its parent company, affiliates, subsidiaries, and advertising or promotion agencies, and anyone working directly or indirectly on this program, product and promotion, and all of their respective officers, directors, employees and representatives (which for the purpose of these Official Rules will be referred to together as the “Promotion Parties”) from any and all liability or any injuries, loss or damage of any kind arising from or in connection with this Contest or acceptance and use of any prize.

10. General Conditions: This Contest is governed by Washington law. You agree that the jurisdiction and venue for the handling of any disputes or actions arising out of this Contest shall be in the courts of the State of Washington.

If, for any reason, the Contest is not capable of running as planned for any reason, including, without limitation, the reasons set forth above, we reserve the right at our sole discretion to cancel, terminate, modify or suspend the Contest. If a solution cannot be found to restore the integrity of the Contest, we may, at our sole discretion, determine the winners of this Contest using all non-suspect, eligible customer redemption reports and/or entries received (as applicable) before we had to cancel, terminate, modify or suspend the Contest.

We may disqualify you from participating in the Contest or winning a prize (and void your participation in the other promotions we may offer) if, in our sole discretion, we determine you are attempting to undermine the legitimate operation of the Contest by cheating, deception or other unfair playing practices, or intending to annoy, abuse, threaten or harass us, any other entrant or our representatives or if you are otherwise not in compliance with the terms of these Official Rules. CAUTION: ANY ATTEMPT BY YOU OR ANY OTHER INDIVIDUAL TO DELIBERATELY DAMAGE ANY WEBSITE OR UNDERMINE THE LEGITIMATE OPERATION OF THE CONTEST IS A VIOLATION OF CRIMINAL AND CIVIL LAWS AND SHOULD SUCH AN ATTEMPT BE MADE, WE RESERVE THE RIGHT TO SEEK DAMAGES FROM YOU TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW.

11. Winners List : To request a list of winners (available after June 02, 2010), you can send a self-addressed, stamped envelope by July 31, 2010 to: “Halo: Reach Emblem Contest”, attn: Winners – Bungie, 218 Main Street PMB 724, Kirkland, WA 98033-6108.

12. Sponsor: This Contest is sponsored by Bungie, LLC, 218 Main Street PMB 724, Kirkland, WA 98033-6108.

Banhammer Operational 

Posted by urk at 9/3/2009 11:12 AM PDT

St. Louis to Seattle: Urk's Tale 

Posted by urk at 10/22/2008 11:35 AM PDT

One man-child's great journey to the magical Northwest.


I can’t mark the moment the realization took hold. Even the interview loop—made ethereal by nearly eighteen hours without sleep—seemed shrouded in fog. Reality seemed comprised only of Missouri, Iowa, South Dakota, Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho. States that faded away as fast as my wagon—a trusty Honda—could power me westward.

It could have clicked someplace in South Dakota, where the bleached grass was broken only by hand painted signs promising marvels in The Original 1880’s Town. Authentic set pieces from Dances with Wolves, Otis the Camel, and a Casey Tibb’s museum. They even proclaimed ownership of the “Real” General Lee. Whether or not they had the old Duke boys’ wheels stored away in an old, graying barn or the actual Civil War general, a gnarled gray visage stuffed and propped, I’ll never know. When 1880’s Town came up on the left, I didn’t take my foot off the pedal.

Because as strange as the promises offered by those hand painted signs seemed, as surreal and absurd as packing up my belongings and heading to Seattle was—the endpoint on my map was Kirkland, Washington. I had landed a gig with Bungie.

How bizarre.

I remember watching the Halo 2 E3 Demonstration (yeah, that one) and just being floored by it. The curious opening notes as the Chief’s Pelican ducked down below the cloud cover, the gravity-defying megalopolis of New Mombasa looming, and the decimated defending UNSC ground forces, left in no condition to fight.

When I walked into the interview with Bungie at eight o’clock in the morning, similar sensations coursed through me. A sense of curiosity and wonder, the looming prospect of a day packed with 11 interviewers, and the fear that the previous night, sleepless, nearly every moment spent with my laptop in the hotel room writing (and rewriting) the required submissions—an assignment that was handed over by the hotel concierge just before I begrudgingly drug my suitcase toward the elevator that carried me to my room—could've sapped my fortitude and rendered my responses senseless and unintelligible. Apparently the good burgers at Bungie thought I was wide awake.

I kept my foot on the pedal. And I filled my tank again and again, with the bitter wonder of freshly brewed and generously poured coffee.

“How do I get a job at Bungie Studios?” It’s not an uncommon question. It pops up all the time in the usual community haunts. But it might be the wrong one to ask. I did a fifteen year stint working jobs that answered the wrong questions. “How much will I earn?” ‘How long is the commute?” “Will it advance my career?” I wanted to be a writer, but words didn’t answer those questions for me. So I worked retail, and then customer service, and then Information Technology. And I can’t remember the exact moment the realization took shape for me, but sure enough, one day I allowed myself to entertain the idea that I could be a writer. Not with an eye toward working for Bungie, or any other company for that matter, but because it’s something I’m passionate about. Because my mom has a binder in the living room curio filled with stories I was conjuring up from Kindergarten on. Because I love doing it.

In the coming months I’m going to be talking to other Bungie employees, some you may already know, others who are somewhat new to the team. Though their stories probably won’t be as maudlin as my own, they should give you a great look into the diverse paths taken to land jobs at Bungie across multiple disciplines. Buckle up. I hope you’ll enjoy the ride as much as I have.

Bungie Weekly Update: 10/03/08 

Posted by Shishka at 10/3/2008 6:38 PM PDT

With Luke and Sketch bound for Tokyo, I'm the only one left to provide you guys with your weekly update. Sucks to be you. Or does it?


Read Full Top Story

Teaser Trailer 

Posted by Shishka at 9/25/2008 7:07 AM PDT

Enjoy the teaser for one of our current projects.


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PARDON OUR DUST 

Posted by Anonymous User (Deleted) at 9/22/2008 7:07 PM PDT

SERVICES WILL RESUME

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