The Average Gamer

Destiny – What’s Bungie Doing Now?

Destiny Logo

Bungie have finally revealed some details on Destiny, their first post-Halo project for consoles. Not gameplay details, mind. Just, y’know… info. In this rather pretentious ViDoc, known to the rest of the world as a “video”, various unnamed developers deliver profound-sounding statements that reveal nothing at all.

“That moment when we decided that the right thing was for us to do something big and to commit the entire company to it? It’s a big deal.”

Game company builds game? Well done.

“The fantasy you have you’re creating an experience is that someone else is going to enjoy it. one reason that the game is so intriguing is that we’re reaching players in ways that we haven’t before.”

They’re including an iPhone component.

“We’re building something alive, that has a nature we don’t totally control. Things are going to happen that we don’t plan and that’s amazing.”

Any chance you could tell us what that is?

“The best thing about Bungie is even though you have these crazy ideas, you know that they’re going to get funnelled into a game that’s fun.”

[Insert first-person shot of man running while holding a rifle here]

Talking heads aside, there are some tidbits about the game here. Something called “The Traveller” has come to Earth and left a big white globe hanging over the place. Humans have built a perfectly-positioned circular city beneath it, so presumbly the globe does a really good job of reflecting sunlight and warmth. Also, I guess Bungie really like circles.

Players will be guardians of the city, shooting guns and wielding powers to save the city from the monsters that live outside. These are some groundbreaking crazy ideas, right here. Watch the video for yourself.

Eurogamer met with Bungie to get more info:

“Activision Publishing boss Eric Hirshberg says it’s not an MMO. No, it most definitely is not an MMO. And Activision most definitely will not charge a subscription fee for it. ‘As we saw Destiny come together,’ he says, ‘we realised it belonged to a genre we couldn’t quite pin down.’

He calls Destiny the ‘world’s first shared-world shooter’.

Destiny is a persistent world complete with a dynamic day/night cycle and weather effects. Your character has persistent progression across single-player, co-op and competitive multiplayer as it levels up and gains new equipment and weapons. But the most important feature to note is that players, and Destiny, are always connected to the internet. Indeed you have to be connected for the game to work. Even when you’re playing on your own you’re playing with other players.”
– Wesley Yin-Poole, Destiny: Bungie unveils its shared-world shooter

It certainly sounds like an MMO. In fact, it sounds a lot like Defiance, that online game where people share a world and shoot.

The “building something alive” line above suggests they’re trying to build a world like EVE Online for shooters. Perhaps a persistent planet or universe where the events and economy are determined by the players, but instead of controlling ships, you’re running around on the ground shooting things. Rather like DUST 514.

Could be anything. Here’s a bunch of dramatic yet contextless concept art to rest your eyes on as you wonder.

Destiny - Cassini Derelict Destiny - Citadel Destiny - Fireteam Destiny - Pike