After 8 years, Destiny 2 is losing one of its most communicative community managers. Dylan Gafner, better known as dmg04, is leaving Bungie at the end of 2022. His announcement spread like wildfire in the community, and Guardians from all over the world personally thank him for his strong and long-standing commitment.
Normally, the messages from Bungie’s community manager Dylan “dmg04” Gafner have always contained interesting or important details about the well-known loot shooter Destiny 2 for many years. They are therefore closely followed by many Guardians. But on December 15, everything was different.
The community manager shared: Instead of game news, dmg04 announced via Twitter that he will step down from his position as Senior Community Manager at Bungie at the end of the year, on December 30, 2022. Thus, Destiny 2, after DeeJ in 2020, is losing another well-known and beloved face, whose signature characteristics are a yellow cap, a friendly smile, and a golden heart.
As Dylan mentioned, he still does not know where his future will take him, but he is looking forward to ‘new opportunities and new challenges’.
I believe I could write a mega TWAB blog post about the amazing experiences I’ve had during my time here at Bungie. […] I can’t imagine another position where I would have the pleasure of working with so many great people and so many great teams.
writes dmg04 in the statement announcing his upcoming departure from the developer
It is the end of an era: Since May 2015, dmg04 has been a fixture in the community team and thus the first point of contact for Guardians. After that, he represented Bungie and Destiny 2 to the community for almost 8 years, which is not always an easy job.
However, he was not just a contact person, but also a dedicated Guardian. dmg04 was not simply in the middle of the community. He also always had an open ear for the players’ problems, especially when the news he had to announce was bad. His heart remained loyal to Destiny 2, even when he shouldn’t have been working. Before the launch of the DLC ‘Shadowkeep’, for example, dmg04 had to take a break due to a heart problem.
At that time, he posted, according to gamebizz:
Until I’m back in the office, feel free to tell me to put my phone down and stop working if you see that I’m commenting on mistakes or problems. But you can bet that I’ll still dip my toe into a few games in between, even if I’ll be seeing doctors and spending time with family.
dmg04 shared during his health break
Moreover, he was always concerned with Bungie’s social projects, which he continues to engage in.
2022 was the toughest year for dmg04 at Destiny 2
Many Guardians have wondered what led dmg04 to this decision, as this could not be specifically extracted from his official farewell message. But after the turbulent community year of 2022 that lies behind the Senior Community Manager, many nonetheless have a strong suspicion.
Open threats from players may have influenced the decision: Since the beginning of 2022, there have been repeated open and sometimes frightening threats from Destiny 2 players – especially against the Senior Community Manager dmg04. He was actively threatened along with his family, ‘that someone was moving close to him – and it was no longer safe for him’.
This led Bungie to drastically reduce its communication with players for a while. The Senior Community Manager himself had to take a longer rehab leave and seek help from a doctor and therapist. At that time, he openly informed the fans that he had begun taking antidepressants.
Referring to this, a player commented via reddit:
[…] He is too kind to explicitly say it in his statement, but [these toxic players] are the reason he took a break from his mental health this year, and I wouldn’t be at all shocked if that is also the reason he decided to leave Bungie altogether.’
Guardians around the world say “Thank you”
No matter what reasons dmg04 had, it is clear that he was a reliable point of contact for many players regarding Destiny 2. Therefore, it is not surprising that Guardians around the world reacted with messages and videos to his post after the announcement.
Just as his messages were always communicative and honest, the Guardians pay honor to his long-standing commitment. As do his colleagues at Bungie.
So far, his tweet has received 36,910 hearts and nearly 4,000 responses on Twitter from Guardians wanting to thank him. Cozmo, Global Community Lead at Bungie, also shared a photo with dmg04 on Twitter, writing:
We had a damn good ride together. Working together over the past seven years has been a great time. It was a privilege to watch you become one of the best community managers in our industry. I wish you all the best for your next adventures!
Cozmo, teammate of dmg04 and Global Community Lead at Bungie
Also in the “This Week at Bungie” blog, they said farewell with the words: “When you are great, you never really leave, so this is not a goodbye but a thank you. And so it is. Thank you, dmg04.”
A particularly successful farewell comes from Guardians in the British Destiny 2 community, from lore expert “My Name is Byf”. He shared this emotional video on dmg04 with the words “A bit chilly in Seattle, but feeling the warmth. Much love to all Guardians in the UK! Thank you all!”
Who will step into his shoes? This question remains unanswered so far. Besides dmg04, the two most well-known names for community management are dmg04’s longtime ‘best buddy’ Chris “Cozmo” Shannon and newcomer Liana “Hippie” Ruppert.
She has already taken a prominent role in Bungie’s recent announcement previews for the upcoming Lightfall DLC and has been writing the “This Week at Bungie” blogs for quite some time, where she likes to hide secret messages.
What do you think about dmg04’s departure? Was he a good contact person for you at Bungie for Destiny 2 or will you not miss him? Feel free to share your opinion in the comments.
