Destiny
News, coverage and analysis tracking Destiny across the outlets.
This Week In Games Was Bad, But Next Week May Be WorseThe gaming industry experienced a particularly bleak week with multiple significant layoffs, studio closures, and price increases. Microsoft's Xbox division saw widespread job cuts, while Sony announced plans to end physical disc production for PlayStation games by 2028. These events, coupled with delays and the ongoing impact of AI discussions, paint a grim picture for the industry's immediate future.
Something for the Weekend – 27/06/26This week's gaming news was dominated by Grand Theft Auto 6, with pre-orders going live and details about the Ultimate Edition and digital-only physical copies revealed. Other news includes Bungie layoffs, SteamOS availability on PCs, and price increases for Xbox Series consoles. Several games received reviews, including Zero Parades: For Dead Spies and Gothic 1 Remake, while previews were offered for Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy.- Sony announces major layoffs at Bungie, including most of the Destiny teamSony has announced significant layoffs at its subsidiary Bungie, impacting a substantial portion of the Destiny development team. Some employees working on the Marathon project were also affected, and studio head Justin Truman has stepped down.
Believe it or not, there was a push for a Destiny dating sim at Bungie once, and it had a proper pitch deck and everythingFormer Bungie employees revealed that a Destiny dating sim was pitched internally, inspired by games like Dream Daddy. Despite having a detailed pitch deck and a "Hard No" from leadership, the concept was explored during internal game jam events. This revelation comes as more details about Destiny 2's development and Bungie's near-shutdown before the Sony acquisition emerge.
Bungie devs reportedly pitched Destiny dating gameFormer Bungie employees revealed that developers pitched a dating game based on the Destiny franchise, inspired by 'Dream Daddy'. While the prototype was created during internal development events, management rejected the idea, deeming it too 'silly'. This news comes as Bungie faces potential layoffs and concludes development on Destiny 2.- etc., etc.Bungie leadership reportedly rejected a proposal for a Destiny dating simulator. The article details internal discussions and the company's stance on such a project, highlighting a focus on the core gameplay experience.
- Bungie Developers Repeatedly Pitched a Destiny Dating Sim, but Leadership Rejected ItBungie developers proposed a dating simulator set within the Destiny universe on multiple occasions. However, the studio's leadership consistently rejected these pitches, showing no interest in pursuing the concept.
Bungie's at a crossroads: Should Destiny 3 be a live service, just a campaign, or something else entirely?This article discusses the future of the Destiny franchise, questioning whether Destiny 3 should adopt a live service model, focus solely on a campaign, or return to a more traditional expansion-based release schedule. The author reflects on the pros and cons of Destiny 2's current live service approach and the challenges of sustaining such a model for Bungie and its aging player base.
After Years of Live-Service Chasing, Single-Player Games Are Winning AgainThe article discusses the shift in the gaming industry from a strong focus on live-service games back towards single-player experiences. While live-service games can be highly lucrative, many publishers struggled to implement them successfully, leading to a resurgence in demand for complete, finished single-player titles. This trend is evident in recent showcases from Sony and Xbox, which highlight promising single-player games as key platform definers.
It's bittersweet that the best time to play Destiny 2 in years coincides with its end, but I'm happy for the new players who get to experience its most liberating iteration yetThe final update for Destiny 2, despite marking the end of the game, is seen as a positive and liberating experience, especially for new players. This update introduces numerous requested quality-of-life improvements, loot refreshes, and activity revamps, making it the best iteration of the game to date. While the narrative conclusion may be underwhelming, the extensive patch notes highlight significant additions that revitalize the game's core elements.
Inspired by Dark Souls, former Destiny lead fought to add super tough enemies to the start of the gameFormer Destiny world design lead Niles Sankey revealed that the placement of high-level 'skull health bar knights' in the game's Cosmodrome area was inspired by the challenging enemy encounters in Dark Souls. Sankey had to advocate for these enemies to remain in the game, as some developers considered them bugs due to their high difficulty.
I'm sad, I'm angry, I'm interested: Destiny's final cutscenes are a painful end to a new saga cut…This article reflects on the emotional impact of Destiny 2's final cutscenes, particularly the conclusion of the Light and Darkness saga and the setup for the new Fate saga. The author expresses sadness and anger over the abrupt end to the new narrative direction, highlighting the bittersweet nature of the Monuments of Triumph update's hidden cutscenes. The piece also touches on the retirement of Zavala and the potential implications of the Winnower's appearance, leaving the reader with a desire for a continuation of the story.
Destiny 2's dormancy will leave a power vacuumWith Destiny 2 entering its end-of-service lifecycle and no new content planned, a power vacuum is created in the looter shooter genre. While previous games failed to dethrone Destiny, its dormancy presents an opportunity for a new title to capture player attention, though the high development costs and the challenge of appealing to its dedicated player base remain significant hurdles.
BioShock 2 team nearly made "Destiny before Destiny existed" with one canceled 2K game, ex-dev says: "I…Former 2K Marin programmer David Lindsey Pittman revealed details about a canceled game codenamed Project Richmond, which would have been a 'Destiny before Destiny existed.' The game was envisioned as a co-op, BioShock-inspired shooter set in a tundra environment with a '60s/70s suburban timeloop theme. Despite Pittman's strong desire to develop the game, it never progressed beyond the prototyping stage before 2K Marin was closed in 2013.- Destiny 3 hopefuls loudly protest, but I fear it’s too lateThis opinion piece discusses the desire for a Destiny 3, suggesting that while fans are vocal, the current state of the franchise may make a sequel unlikely. The author implies that the fate of a potential Destiny 3 rests on factors beyond player demand.
Destiny fans cry 'We Want Destiny 3' into voidDespite significant fan demand and a petition, Bungie has not greenlit Destiny 3, and the Destiny 2 team's future projects remain uncertain. While pitches are being heard, the studio is currently focused on its extraction shooter Marathon, which is offering a free-to-play period to attract players.
Destiny 2 Had To Die For The Series To Ever Live AgainThe author argues that Destiny 2's prolonged lifespan and evolving issues, including microtransactions and the Destiny Content Vault, necessitated its eventual end for the series to have a chance at future success. Despite the sadness of its conclusion and reported layoffs at Bungie, the article suggests that the game's over-scope and mismanagement led to a decline that made a fresh start for the Destiny franchise necessary. The piece also touches on the impact of Sony's ownership and the challenges of sustaining live-service games.- Destiny 2 outlines upcoming gear changes while details about internal plans to right the ship come to lightDestiny 2 is set to receive significant gear updates before entering maintenance mode, including new exotic catalysts, weapon tier upgrades, and archetype tweaks. Bungie is also streamlining the artifact system and making more gear available from vendors. Meanwhile, internal discussions at Bungie reportedly explored rebranding to Destiny Infinity or a third game, but these were deemed too costly. Former Valve writer Chet Faliszek expressed concern over Sony's apparent lack of interest in long-term multiplayer game support.
After 7 years in development, an amazing single-player FPS just hit Steam and consoles: "We were heavily inspired by titles such as Nier Automata, Metroid Prime, Destiny, Halo"Kwalee Labs has released its story-driven, single-player first-person shooter Luna Abyss on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X. The game, which has been in development since mid-2019, has received very positive user reviews and an 80 on Metacritic. Developers cited inspirations including Nier Automata, Metroid Prime, Destiny, Halo, and Returnal.
'People want MMOs', says veteran designer Jack Emmert, it's the publishers chasing WoW-level scope that…Veteran designer Jack Emmert believes players still want MMOs, citing the sales of New World as proof, but argues that publishers' pursuit of WoW-level scope and budget leads to failure. He suggests that a more focused vision and reasonable expectations are key to creating successful new MMOs, rather than trying to replicate existing giants.