Marty O’Donnell has shared that a dispute with Microsoft regarding unpaid royalties for the Halo soundtrack has been “amicably resolved”, following a lawsuit filed by the composer in 2020.
Today (April 19), O’Donnell shared that “Microsoft and O’Donnell/Salvatori, Inc., are pleased to have amicably resolved their differences.”
This follows a long-running lawsuit between both parties that was filed in 2020. The lawsuit alleged that Microsoft did not correctly pay royalties to Halo composers O’Donnell and Mike Salvatori, and the pair even explored blocking the launch of Paramount’s Halo TV show over the dispute.
A court date for the lawsuit was scheduled for May 9, however today’s amicable resolution means this will likely not go ahead.
Though details regarding the lawsuit’s resolution are vague, it seems that O’Donnell is now able to share behind-the-scenes footage of his work on the Halo franchise.
In a video uploaded today – which shows a studio session filmed with Steve Vai and Nile Rodgers – O’Donnell says “I’m happy to be able to share this historic video once again,” and added in the comments that he “should be able to post all those Halo related videos soon.”
While the video opens with a disclaimer that says “this video is not associated with, sponsored, or endorsed by Microsoft, 343 Industries, or the Halo franchise,” it goes on to share 27 minutes of guitarists Vai and Rodgers’ working on the Halo 2 soundtrack, revealing the pair’s creative process at work.
The video also captures a significant moment in the series’ history, and shows Vai improvising a now-iconic guitar riff that would later appear as Halo 2‘s main theme in 2004.
In other gaming news, Halo Infinite fans have broken down why the shooter’s hidden ranking system is causing unfair matches to occur.
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