The agreement will see Activision granted exclusive worldwide publishing and distribution rights for all future Bungie games based upon the new intellectual property, though Bungie will remain independent and retain control of the mystery property.

[UPDATE] Furthermore, the new property will be coming to "all platforms." [/UPDATE]

"We chose to partner with Activision on our next IP because of their global reach, multi-platform experience and marketing expertise," said Bungie president Harold Ryan, who oversaw Bungie's split from Microsoft in 2007, in the announcement. "From working together over the past nine months on this agreement, it is clear that Activision supports our commitment to giving our fans the best possible gaming experiences."

"Bungie has developed some of the most compelling and successful games, multiplayer experiences and thriving fan communities, and this alliance underscores our long-standing commitment to foster the industry's best creative talent," enthused Activision Blizzard COO Thomas Tippl. "Our unprecedented partnership with Bungie will enable us to broaden our pipeline of exciting new games as we continue to strengthen our industry position and pursue long-term growth opportunities."

The announcement comes during an otherwise-troubled month for the video games leviathan. Activision Publishing CEO Mike Griffith resigned last week and Activision is currently being sued for $125 million by current and former members of its Infinity Ward studio. At least twenty-one have now quit the Call of Duty creator, several of them to join Infinity Ward's recently-fired co-founders Vince Zampella and Jason West at their newly-formed studio, Respawn Entertainment.

If you only accept news in video format, Activision has also released a video announcement featuring its own Thomas Tippl and Bungie's Harold Ryan.