Bungie's newest IP may soon have a publisher. The developer is moving on from Halo after 2010, and they are reportedly close to a deal for the next title.
"I think internally we'll know sometime soon. I don't handle these things, but I'd imagine we're going to know way before we make the public announcement of who's handling that!" Designer Lars Bakken told Eurogamer.

"But sure, I think those talks are, I guess, close."

Nothing is known about the new title, but Bethesda production director Ashley Cheng believes that it will be a highly desirable property, and that only the largest publishers will be able to afford to bid on it.

"You can count on one hand the number of publisher's around who can afford to publish Bungie's next game: EA (via EA Partners), Activision, Ubisoft, Microsoft, and of course, Bethesda," Cheng wrote on his personal blog.

"I can only imagine how much it will cost to snag their next title."

Cheng said that Sony could also be a potential bidder, but that he considers the possibility "unlikely." Nevertheless, you can be sure that they'll be watching the proceedings carefully.

Bungie currently has two more Halo games on docket, which they say will be their last in the series. They've already said that any new IP will not be automatically tied to Microsoft, leaving the path open for a brand new deal.

In the meantime, look for Halo 3: ODST on September 22.