The boss of Bungie spoke in an interview about the development of new projects for which they are massively hiring talent. Guardians are now wondering: does this have an impact on Destiny 2?
The CEO of Bungie, Pete Parsons, spoke in an interview about the studio behind Destiny 2 and their future plans. He proudly addressed that they have been working on other projects for 3 years, for which the studio is currently making significant investments. This is causing criticism among the Guardians.
This is what the interview is about: On November 27, Peter Parsons spoke with GameCentral (via Metro). Towards the end of the interview, the focus clearly shifted away from Destiny 2 and the new expansion Beyond Light, towards Bungie’s future as a studio and new projects.
They want to mix in a lot of “Bungie’s Secret Sauce” to the titles – the secret recipe that makes Bungie games so tasty. According to Parsons, they have been brewing on the new titles for 3 years, since 2017.
Initially starting the work with a small team, they have recently been hiring new employees at a breakneck speed. The “new talents” and the resulting team are the most important resource for Bungie in the entire studio.
Even more important than releasing new games, according to Parsons, is the question:
How do we build teams that know how to work together and – most importantly – create magical things?
In the interview, it was mentioned that Bungie is hiring so many new employees that “almost a quarter of them have never set foot in the studio.” This refers to the fact that Bungie has been working largely from home for some time – Destiny 2 is being further developed from home.
The strong focus on new projects, the fruits of which we are supposed to see sometime before 2025, is also heating up the emotions of some Destiny players.
Parsons has been the CEO of Bungie since 2016. His predecessor Harold Ryan has since founded a new game studio, which works with currently 100 employees on the revolution of blockbuster titles:
Because Destiny 2 is doing poorly, Bungie’s policies are receiving criticism
That Bungie is growing and evolving as a studio should be good news. However, instead, there is harsh criticism for Parsons’ statements and the plans for Bungie’s future.
Why are the Guardians angry? The tone of the criticism is unanimous (via PCGamer):
- “So D2 releases are only the absolute minimum, they are diverting resources to another game.”
- “It’s amazing to see how a developer can go from producing incredible games to a total crash within the span of two releases.”
- “It must feel great to be part of the Destiny 2 team with the minimum support and resources available to them. As far as I know, the overwhelming majority of Bungie’s developers are focused on these new titles, with the D2 team receiving only minimal support.”
The Guardians feel betrayed, their Destiny 2 is being left behind and the new talents and investments benefit the new projects.
If Destiny 2 were flourishing, the reactions might be different. However, since the savior Forsaken launched in 2018 and the split between Bungie and Activision Blizzard occurred less than half a year later, there has essentially been a phase of constant criticism.
Whether the development of other games at Bungie will have an impact – positive or negative – on Destiny 2, is something that no one can say for certain at this time.
What do we know about the future of Destiny 2 and the new projects at Bungie?
The course for the future of Destiny 2 is already set for the next few years:
- Recently released the expansion “Beyond Light” (November 2020), which serves as the beginning of a trilogy.
- In 2021, the next chapter “Witch Queen” will be released.
- In 2022, “Lightfall” will conclude the trilogy and (at least for now) bring the saga of light against darkness to an end.
- What will happen next is still uncertain. However, we know that Bungie is committed to Destiny 2 and aims to develop it into an action MMO that combines the best of Destiny 1 and its successor. And apparently, the story of Destiny 2 is not yet fully told with Lightfall, as Bungie revealed to MeinMMO in an interview.
For many, Beyond Light is now seen as a kind of last chance for Destiny 2. If Bungie fails with this DLC, some players are threatening to hang up their Guardian careers.
How MeinMMO author Sven Galitzki assesses the expansion, you can read here: Destiny 2: Only 2 weeks after launch, Beyond Light shows how good it really is
New IP from the Destiny creators – what do we know about “Project Matter”?
Even though Bungie has been brewing on other projects besides Destiny 2 for 3 years, we are largely in the dark regarding that.
This is known:
- In 2018, Bungie officially trademarked the name “Matter”. This is presumably a completely new IP, detached from Destiny.
- Whether Matter will also be the name of the new game is not yet secured.
- Also in 2018, Bungie received a $100 million investment from NetEase. The Chinese internet giant is known in the East for mobile games and MMOs, but also as a publisher of WoW and other Blizzard titles.
- From job postings, we know that Bungie’s new game sounds medieval like Destiny and is supposed to offer some laughs
What do you think? Do you think Bungie is neglecting Destiny 2, or are the new talents and the connected team benefiting the entire studio, including Destiny 2? Let us know in the comments.
