Bungie must return the shares it took from Halo and Destiny composer

By Dave Owen

Marty O’Donnell, the composer who worked on the Halo series and scored Destiny, has a struck a serious blow in his long-running legal battle with former employer Bungie.

O’Donnell left the developer in April 2014 and said that he had been fired “without cause.” Court documents published by VentureBeat show that when Bungie took away O’Donnell’s founder shares when he left the company.

But after a hearing last week, O’Donnell’s request for a preliminary injunction to restore his stock was granted.

The decision hinges on a prior agreement between O’Donnell and Bungie that he would give up his shares if he left voluntarily. O’Donnell, of course, argues that the decision was not his own.

The decision follows a US court last month ordering Bungie to pay O’Donnell $95,019 for unpaid work, outstanding vacation time, and damages.

O’Donnell worked at Bungie for 14 years, and although the developer claimed at the time of his departure that they had parted “as friends”, O’Donnell maintains that he has still not been given a reason for his release.

Thanks, Eurogamer.