Bungie Towers

**Bungie Towers** is the common (and somewhat ironic, as the building is only two stories tall) name for the former location of Bungie Studios located in Kirkland, Washington. Bungie Towers was a "top-secret high-security facility" at 434 Kirkland Way, and served as the physical space where Bungie Studios' employees worked from 2004 until 2010.

Requiring a larger space to continue its Plan for World Domination, Bungie moved its offices to a new space outside Seattle in Bellevue, Washington, continuing its slow crawl toward infinity.

Bungie Towers was always owned by Microsoft, and one of their owned studios, 343 Industries, soon took possession of the building after Bungie left to continue work on the *Halo* franchise.

## Location

Bungie Towers was located in Kirkland, Washington in the Puget Sound area, west of Microsoft. Nearby is a local Starbucks and a few other commercial venues. The Starbucks building, along with the entire office, can be seen in the Bungie Studio Tour.

## Facility

The facility was formerly a True Value Hardware and then batting cage facility at one point. Bought by Microsoft for Bungie after the shipping of Halo 2, it became a place of renowned greatness.

## Exterior

The exterior of the facility was very plain and drab so as to not attract any attention from passersby. Most of it was unpainted concrete.

### Half-Court Basketball

`“*Uh, these are our bleachers.. People have made out in here. Uh, it's not a pretty sight, 'cuz uh, Bungie staff is almost one-hundred percent dudes..*”`

`~ **Frankie on the bleachers**`
In the back of the facility are bleachers and a basketball hoop.

### Air Conditioning

A massive air conditioning structure protrudes from the rear of the facility and served to cool the massive number of computers and servers within. Its secondary function was to keep cool the numerous hard workers assembling the giant slingshot.

### The Guard

Jerome, Bungie's head of security, patrolled the perimeter of Bungie Towers. He has been lauded for laying the smack down on armies of angry fans hailing from the internets and once put his physical prowess to the test against a slightly less ferocious bear. He usually can be found on sentry duty at the entrance. Soulblighter, the Master Chief, and a trow keep him company (hey, tough company).

The security force's zeal to defend the Bungie Towers is so great that they once barred Frankie from entering the building at the front door. (Frankie circumvented this by going around the back way. Score!)

There are several cases where he has nearly mauled game journalists, or in some cases fellow (rival) game developers for attempting to enter the facility. Whether they had proper credentials or not is their fault.

### Front Door

As with any top-secret high-security facility, the front door is locked. The number 434 (address) is typed vertically top-to-bottom (or possibly bottom-to-top) to the right of the door. A phone-like device mounted on the wall next to the door provides a way for callers to get inside, although the angry security guard will usually intervene and bar the way of entry through the front door.

### Back Door

In the event of a failed attempt to enter in through the front door, the back door provides a favorable alternative into the building. It is located at the back of the facility between the basketball court and air conditioner. Only waving a valid Microsoft ID with proper clearance near a sensor next to the door will unlock the door and yield entrance.

## Interior

The interior is a spacious cavern that houses many of the staff members and even more computers and monitors. There are two main sections, upstairs and downstairs, as well as several others.

### Upstairs

Used mainly by the animators to film reference and mess around with motion capture. Also used to store a lot of old junk. Is the location of the The Ivory Tower.

### Downstairs

The main space of the interior facility, houses the workspaces of artists and engineers. Contains a small work out area.

### Kitchen

Houses many snacks including Tijuana Mamas. It is stocked by the Bungie Princess herself. Known to stock authentic organic bananas.

### Lounge Area

An area with beanbag chairs, televisions, Xboxs, GameCubes, and other systems. Used for relaxing and wasting time.

### Elevator

Originally intended for hauling heavy stuff up and down, but can also serve to transport people.

### Rest Rooms

Large and spacious like my ass hole these rooms are equipt with state of the art waste management facilities. Much work is said to go on in these palaces of poo including an occasional article written by SketchFactor himself by way of iPhone.

Also known to reside in the Bungie Restrooms are an impressive collection of photos, their nature largely unknown for good, and disgusting, reasons.

Most impressive of all of these dens of defecation is the fabled Executive Bathroom. Located in the ritzy uper floor of Bungie near the desk of Damian Isla, this contemporary crapper is further equiped with a motion activated light, saving countless pennies on lighting expenses. Seropian would be proud. It is said that up to 60 minutes can be set on this light allowing for maximum discharge and providing a perfect way to waste time. It has also been noted that upon the emergence of employee Chris Carney's sweat drenched visage the room will not be fit for human occupation for multiple hours.

## External Links

* Bungie Towers on Google Maps (Zoom in for a better look!)

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Bungie.net - My Trip to Bungie/Seattle! (May 21, 2007)