Destiny Unveiled

Bungie has officially unveiled its future: Destiny. Though we have previously gleaned some tidbits from leaks and court documents, this is the first official news from the company and it sure looks good.

Destiny is the name of the new franchise Bungie has been hard at work on. Though we just learned the first game will likely be released in 2014, we know that Bungie has plans  for Destiny for the next ten years. Old contracts made public during the West and Zampella v. Activision lawsuit indicated that the franchise would see major releases every 2 years with some sort of expansion or substantial DLC to fill the in-between years.

This franchise is meant to be huge and Bungie is certainly putting in the effort and work to make that a reality. Jason Jones, co-founder of Bungie and mastermind of the original Halo trilogy, is said to have begun work on Destiny after the release of Halo 2. A full development team obviously didn’t join until much later but the studio now numbers around 350 employees.

Destiny takes place hundreds of years in the future. Humanity had progressed and was actively engaged in space exploration when they suddenly came under attack by a much more powerful foe. With humanity on the brink of extinction, a giant orb called the Traveler came to Earth and saved the remaining humans. With an almost wiped out populace, humans slowly began to rebuild a city under the shadow of the remains of the Traveler.

Eventually, humanity began to venture out into space again only to find that many hostile alien civilizations had moved into the solar system. You play as a guardian who’s mission is to protect humanity. The three classes outlined include the Titan (brute), Hunter (stealthy sniper), and the Warlock (gets magic-like abilities from the Traveler). There has also been mention of getting your own spaceship, travelling the solar system, and maybe even space combat?

Back when MMO’s were all the rage and every developer’s dream was to build a World of Warcraft killer, Bungie had described Destiny as sort of an MMO.  Fast forward a bit and games like The Old Republic have swayed developers to realize that no one wants to hear about their new MMO. When later questioned about the description, Bungie said the MMO reference was just a joke.

Though Destiny has some strong MMO-like elements, it doesn’t fit the mold exactly.  This, combined with the current negative perception of MMO’s, has led Bungie to label the game as a ‘Shared World Shooter.’ It has been stressed that while the game will let you play solo, there is a lot of emphasis on social interactions. Multiple possible scenarios have been described about how seamless it will be for you to come in and out of contact with other players who are working on the same thing as you. It will be interesting to see how well that all ends up working.

The game looks like it will only be released on consoles. The Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 are specifically mentioned as well as stating that Destiny will appear on next generation hardware – AKA the new Xbox and Playstation which will come out later this year. PC gamers appear to be getting the cold shoulder for the time being (but the platform isn’t explicitly excluded). The nature of the game necessitates a constant internet connection. Bungie has stated there will be no subscription fee.

Destiny holds so much promise and it has instantly become one of the most anticipated upcoming games. The only disappointing thing so far is that there was some hope that it would be a launch title for the new consoles but now we know we’ll have to wait a little longer.

As it is such a complex game, Bungie needs to make sure it gets everything right. They can’t afford to blow what is supposed to be a 10+ year project on the first release.

One potential pitfall which needs to be avoided has to do with endgame content. The word ‘raid’ has been specifically used when discussing endgame content. Having plot developments or gear restricted to those who participate in large group raids would be a deal-breaker for many. Forcing you to join large groups to move through content is a nonstarter.

Another question has to do with revenue. Massive development costs with no subscription fee will certainly leave the finance department hungry.  With the full product releases and the major expansions there will be a substantial release every year. Honestly, as long as these releases contain enough content, most gamers would have no problem with annual purchases. However, there is some chatter going around about possible micro-transactions in the game. If Bungie wants to immerse players in Destiny, they will need to stay away from any sort of nickel and dime mentality.

With any project of this scope there will always be things to worry about. The people at Bungie have a pretty good track record and there’s a very good probability that Destiny will be fantastic. Bungie has done marvelously in the past and their future continues to look bright.