Overview
Martin O'Donnell is a composer and musical director most widely known for his collaboration with Bungie Studios. His Halo series soundtracks were extremely popular and lauded for setting the mood of the game. From the exciting and pulse-pounding sounds of Halo Theme Mjoinir Mix and Rock Anthem for Saving the World to the atmospheric Remembrance, most Halo fans can probably hum his music from memory and can feel the adrenaline start to flow as their fingers twitch for an Xbox controller at the sound of his work.
On April 16, 2014, O'Donnell announced via his Twitter account that he had been fired from Bungie Studios on April 11th. He commented that he was terminated "without cause" by the board of directors. The abrupt split was further intensified on June 6, 2014 when it was revealed that O'Donnell was suing Bungie over unpaid accrued paid vacation time, sabbatical time and paid time off. Bungie Studios denied the accusations. The lawsuit was settled in July 2014 with O'Donnell receiving $95,000 in settlement, with $38,385 in unpaid wages and another $38,385 in damages. The remaining amount was meant to cover O'Donnell's legal fees and interest.
On August 19, 2014, in a separate arbitration hearing, Bungie was ordered to return O'Donnell's founders' stock in the company. The ruling is subject to appeal by Bungie.
In 2015, Martin O’Donnell along with ex-Bungie developer Jaime Griesemer and Airtight Games co-founder Jared Noftle formed Highwire Games.
Trivia
- Prior to his work at Bungie, Marty O'Donnell wrote advertisement jingles, including Flintstones Vitamins and Mr. Clean. He was also one of the composers for Septerra Core, along with Michael Salvatori.
- Has a fanclub named "The Marty Army"
- Is nicknamed "The Elder"
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