There has been no news regarding a possible PC release for Destiny for more than half a year. This would seem logical. Will we learn more in September?
A PC release for Destiny still appeared logical to Activision Chief Hirshberg in an interview back in June 2014. Destiny would fit well on PC, as the genre and setting are perfectly suited for a PC port, he said back then.
Will Destiny 2 be released on PC in 2017? These 5 reasons say: Yes.
Why is there silence regarding a PC port of Destiny?
But they do not want to overextend themselves at the moment and, if they port Destiny to PC, they want to ensure that it achieves the highest possible quality.
This interview from June with the US magazine Polygon is the last thing we have heard from Bungie regarding a PC port. Since then, they have remained silent. This can only be due to two reasons:
- They are genuinely not working on a PC version.
- They are working on a PC version but are saying nothing about it. Perhaps they have come to an agreement with console manufacturers Sony and Microsoft not to disclose anything about a PC port, so that the “quasi” exclusive title Destiny continues to sell consoles. Silence, then, is intended to entice actual PC players to switch to a next-gen console to enjoy exclusive titles. If they definitely knew, “This will eventually come to PC,” the pressure to switch would be weaker.
Leak provided hints
In the past months, there has been no new information about a PC release, but a “leak” provided a glimpse into Destiny’s future plans. This “leak” has not been officially confirmed, but its credibility has not been seriously questioned either. It simply appears too coherent and fits too well with the “official” plans we have for Destiny in 2015 and beyond. The next DLC “House of Wolves” is expected to be released in March, which is supposed to be of a similar scope and size to the December DLC “Darkness Awaits”.
If Bungie were to decide now to release a PC port, they would find themselves in an awkward position with these two “previous” DLCs. Should they just give those to players of a PC base game? Would they have to purchase these separately at release? Do they want two versions for Destiny?
Comet in Destiny is likely to be Destiny 1.5
According to the leak, a kind of Destiny 1.5 is supposed to be released in September 2015 as a standalone expansion. It currently carries the name Comet: Plague of Darkness. Apparently, Bungie wants to retain this “Comet” title as a designation for such “.5” expansions and will use this name for the upcoming titles Destiny 2 and Destiny 3.
This Destiny 1.5 is supposed to be different from the previous DLCs, if the rumors are to be believed. It is set to be sold as a “new base box” and include not only new content but also the base game of Destiny and the two DLCs “Darkness Awaits” and “House of Wolves”. A new “season” pass is likely to be offered that will include the next 2 DLCs, which would probably build on Destiny 1.5.
Furthermore, they want to “sort of” start anew with 1.5, raise the base level to 30, and introduce some new zones and missions.
It is to be expected that Bungie and Activision will launch their marketing machinery again in advance of Comet. This could also provide an opportunity to market a PC version and create a favorable environment for it.
However, these are currently all unconfirmed information. We only know that Bungie is planning such a larger “expansion” but do not have any official details.
Are the clauses expiring after a year?
September will mark a year since the launch of Destiny. Therefore, it would be quite conceivable that any “contracts” with Sony or Microsoft have expired. As is known, the exclusive contract with Sony regarding the PlayStation-exclusive base game content Hawkmoon, Monte Carlo, the strike Dust Palace, and the Crucible map Exodus Blue is set to expire in September. After a year, these contents will be available to Xbox players.
And if for Sony this one year for the DLC content was enough to hope for an advantage over Microsoft, then perhaps they are also content with this one year without a PC version.
A PC release in September would make sense
The release of Destiny 1.5, the Comet expansion, therefore appears to us at mein-mmo.de to be a “logical” time, should they decide to release a PC port for Destiny. It would be a clean break and a clear new beginning; the PR machinery must be ignited again in August anyway. PC players would then more or less “skip” the first year of Destiny and start directly with a Destiny that is known to have significantly more gameplay content than in the 20 version and is probably also more polished and mature.
Likewise, console players are in a similar situation to The Elder Scrolls Online. They will also never experience the “base game” but only a then improved version “Tamriel Unlimited“, which will have been developed already for over a year by the time of its console release in June.
Once again: All of this is currently still speculation. There has been no news since June 2014, which seems ever stranger, since Destiny is such a great success and a port to PC is practically inevitable.
Update, here are the news: Destiny PC release in 2016?
