In the MMO shooter Destiny, players are struggling with the aftermath of a disastrous interview. The PR damage is significant.
We reported on the interview of Game Director Luke Smith with Eurogamer yesterday morning. Smith’s statements gave the impression that Bungie had no understanding of the fans’ problems. Their anger is directed at the pricing policy and the various contents of the versions of “The Taken King“, Destiny’s latest expansion set to be released in September.
The Game Director seemed to show no understanding of this, and his statements were perceived more as an affront. For instance, Smith said about the coveted new emotes that come only with the expensive Collector’s Edition: If players saw them, they would “throw money at the monitor.” And they could get them if they really wanted to by purchasing the Collector’s Edition.
The fact that veterans already own large parts of the Collector’s Edition and actually only want a fraction of the new Collector’s Edition, namely the digital contents, did not seem to concern Smith.
Social Platforms: Shitstorm
Since then, a shitstorm has been raging on social platforms like reddit. A “collection thread” was created to gather the hundreds of harsh comments under one roof. This “mega thread” has now accumulated 2400 comments. Many users express outrage, feeling unappreciated as customers. It seems as if Bungie considers players to be “cattle,” who would pay regardless of what is set before them.
Additionally, the article on our site that discusses the interview has now over 400 comments: And the prevailing sentiment is quite clear.
The interviewer from Eurogamer, Tom Phillips, tweeted that the interview took place in a good atmosphere. It was the most enjoyable interview he had at E3. For once, he didn’t have to talk to a “media-trained robot.”
Media: PR Disaster
However, no one is thanking Luke Smith for not being a “robot.”
The reactions to the interview are still angry more than 36 hours later and are spreading across the media. Gaming sites report on the anger and rage of Destiny players and explain the situation.
- Gamespot talks about how the interview further poisoned the relationship between the community and Bungie
- Kotaku explains why Destiny players feel screwed over
- And Destructoid warns readers looking to read the original interview: It is painful to read. Whether one still looks forward to the expansion after the interview is questionable.
Some non-gaming sites have also taken up the topic.
- At Forbes they wonder how the chance to show generosity towards veterans by gifting them the items as a “loyalty bonus” was missed. Instead, there are fears that Bungie might conclude that players are also willing to pay a pretty penny for such “small things” and might shift towards microtransactions in the future.
- The British Business Insider describes it as a “PR disaster” and claims Bungie is going into “damage control mode.”
Bungie promises rewards for veterans, but… the Collector’s Edition is almost sold out
Indeed, Community Manager DeeJ assures that in the Weekly Update on the night from Thursday to Friday, they will explain to the veterans who feel cheated what they have planned for them. It will not be the same as what newcomers receive, but something “better.” In this context, DeeJ speaks of ways to honor the “veterans” for what they have accomplished in Destiny.
However, even the otherwise composed DeeJ could not resist a little sarcasm: The Collector’s Editions are almost sold out. Soon, one will likely see editions on eBay that are much more expensive than those offered by Bungie.
Now a boycott, a petition, or Taylor Swift should take action
In a relatively large thread on reddit, users are calling to “take it seriously” and show Bungie that there is a problem with these decisions. Therefore, on July 7, as many players as possible are supposed to not log in to make a statement. However, critics there argue that a more effective boycott would simply be not to purchase The Taken King.
A petition is currently being circulated to be handed to Bungie and Activision to protest against the pricing policy, with nearly 29,000 signatures at this point. It calls for veterans to receive the same perks as newcomers.
And in a piece of absurdity: Also on reddit, there is a user comment stating that it is now time to enlist the help of someone who can get things done: Taylor Swift. The musician recently charmingly brought Apple to its knees and negotiated better terms for musicians with iMusic.
