Destiny franchise director, Luke Smith, has made clear that Bungie’s future lies with the sci-fi shooter series.
Following Bungie’s split from its publisher, Smith has posted on the company website, thanking Activision and other development partners for their help on the series so far, before detailing the short and long-term plans for the series.
In the short term, Bungie’s “continuing to build the content we’ve promised for the Annual Pass.” Smith acknowledges criticism of the last expansion’s high Power requirement, going on to say, “we want to find the line between new content that many players can play, and aspirational content for players to progress toward. We’re exploring improvements to catch-up mechanics for players in upcoming seasons.”
Smith is more tight-lipped about the longer term thinking, but makes clear that “Bungie is committed to Destiny. We created the universe and we hold its future entirely in our hands.”
Is playing Halo worth the $350 it will cost for an Xbox and a game? If you can appreciate videogames and have been waiting for the next step, then the answer is absolutely. If you\u0027re a casual fan and don\u0027t buy more than a handful of games a year, then you still need to get Halo. It\u0027s a can\u0027t miss, no-brainer, sure thing, five star, triple A game. Microsoft created the Xbox so we could have games like Halo. Don\u0027t miss it.”,”height”:720,”width”:1280,”url”:”https:\/\/assets1.ignimgs.com\/2017\/09\/01\/haloce-1504271583635.jpg”,”styleUrl”:”https:\/\/assets1.ignimgs.com\/2017\/09\/01\/haloce-1504271583635_{size}.jpg”,”credit”:””,”objectRelationName”:””,”objectRelationUrl”:””,”albumName”:”Every Bungie Game Ever Reviewed by IGN”,”relativePosition”:”03″,”albumTotalCount”:13},{“caption”:”Reviewed by Douglass Perry, November 9, 2004
Genuinely great games don\u0027t come around that often, but in 2004 we\u0027re seeing a few truly remarkable achievements come to the forefront. Halo 2 is one of them. While you can minimize the game to its basics — it\u0027s a linear first-person shooter, it doesn\u0027t have online cooperative play, some of the cutscenes look awkward — the level of improvement in every aspect to an already near-perfect game is staggering.”,”height”:720,”width”:1280,”url”:”https:\/\/assets1.ignimgs.com\/2017\/09\/01\/halo2-1504272750578.jpg”,”styleUrl”:”https:\/\/assets1.ignimgs.com\/2017\/09\/01\/halo2-1504272750578_{size}.jpg”,”credit”:””,”objectRelationName”:””,”objectRelationUrl”:””,”albumName”:”Every Bungie Game Ever Reviewed by IGN”,”relativePosition”:”04″,”albumTotalCount”:13},{“caption”:”Reviewed by Hillary Goldstein, September 25, 2007
The campaign, which is very good, is Halo 3\u0027s weakest point. It doesn\u0027t capture the cavalier spirit of the original Halo, but you\u0027ll still have fun playing through it. There\u0027s no first-person shooter on 360 that can equal Halo 3\u0027s blend of cinematic action, adrenaline-pumping shootouts, and male- (and female)-bonding gameplay.”,”height”:720,”width”:1280,”url”:”https:\/\/assets1.ignimgs.com\/2017\/09\/01\/halo3-1504273050868.jpg”,”styleUrl”:”https:\/\/assets1.ignimgs.com\/2017\/09\/01\/halo3-1504273050868_{size}.jpg”,”credit”:””,”objectRelationName”:””,”objectRelationUrl”:””,”albumName”:”Every Bungie Game Ever Reviewed by IGN”,”relativePosition”:”05″,”albumTotalCount”:13},{“caption”:”Reviewed by Erik Brudvig, September 19, 2009
Halo 3: ODST isn\u0027t a true sequel, but it is more than a standard expansion. If you\u0027re on the fence about buying it, drop your reservations and go snag a copy. If you love Halo, you owe it to yourself to pick this up as soon as you can.”,”height”:720,”width”:1280,”url”:”https:\/\/assets1.ignimgs.com\/2017\/09\/01\/odst-1504273197024.jpg”,”styleUrl”:”https:\/\/assets1.ignimgs.com\/2017\/09\/01\/odst-1504273197024_{size}.jpg”,”credit”:””,”objectRelationName”:””,”objectRelationUrl”:””,”albumName”:”Every Bungie Game Ever Reviewed by IGN”,”relativePosition”:”06″,”albumTotalCount”:13},{“caption”:”Reviewed by Erik Brudvig, September 14, 2010
It\u0027s a fitting end to Bungie\u0027s involvement with the franchise, one that both references the past and injects new life into a tried and true formula. Newcomers and Halo fans alike will find plenty to love in Halo: Reach. Even if you\u0027ve grown tired of the Halo formula through the years, I\u0027d still recommend this game to you. It\u0027s just that good.”,”height”:720,”width”:1280,”url”:”https:\/\/assets1.ignimgs.com\/2017\/09\/01\/haloreach-1504273345387.jpg”,”styleUrl”:”https:\/\/assets1.ignimgs.com\/2017\/09\/01\/haloreach-1504273345387_{size}.jpg”,”credit”:””,”objectRelationName”:””,”objectRelationUrl”:””,”albumName”:”Every Bungie Game Ever Reviewed by IGN”,”relativePosition”:”07″,”albumTotalCount”:13},{“caption”:”Reviewed by Vince Ingenito, September 3, 2014
Simplistic \u201cit\u2019s like X mixed with Y\u201d comparisons don\u2019t really add up when attempting to explain what Destiny is, or why it\u2019s worth playing. It borrows from many well-established gaming destinations, but the climate of each is wildly different, and often incompatible. It\u2019s a complex production that boils down simply to this: Destiny is a mechanically excellent, visually evocative FPS housed within an under-developed RPG framework.”,”height”:720,”width”:1280,”url”:”https:\/\/assets1.ignimgs.com\/2017\/09\/01\/destiny-1504273515859.jpg”,”styleUrl”:”https:\/\/assets1.ignimgs.com\/2017\/09\/01\/destiny-1504273515859_{size}.jpg”,”credit”:””,”objectRelationName”:””,”objectRelationUrl”:””,”albumName”:”Every Bungie Game Ever Reviewed by IGN”,”relativePosition”:”08″,”albumTotalCount”:13},{“caption”:”Reviewed by Vince Ingenito, December 18, 2014
The Dark Below is a huge missed opportunity, a mish-mash of recycled ideas and content that fails to reinvigorate Destiny or address any of its biggest problems. The new raid is great, and the combat is as strong as it was before, but the new progression systems are limited and ultimately unrewarding, leaving me to wonder where Destiny will wind up if this is a sign of what\u2019s to come.”,”height”:720,”width”:1280,”url”:”https:\/\/assets1.ignimgs.com\/2017\/09\/01\/darkbelow-1504273831450.jpg”,”styleUrl”:”https:\/\/assets1.ignimgs.com\/2017\/09\/01\/darkbelow-1504273831450_{size}.jpg”,”credit”:””,”objectRelationName”:””,”objectRelationUrl”:””,”albumName”:”Every Bungie Game Ever Reviewed by IGN”,”relativePosition”:”09″,”albumTotalCount”:13},{“caption”:”Reviewed by Jose Otero, May 28, 2015
House of Wolves wisely eliminates the worst parts of The Dark Below by offering a faster method to level gear, a better campaign, and varied endgame activities, assuming you have a regular crew to partake of them with. If you don\u2019t, expect to get a lot less out of this expansion, but overall, it\u2019s still a step in the right direction for Destiny.”,”height”:720,”width”:1280,”url”:”https:\/\/assets1.ignimgs.com\/2017\/09\/01\/houseofwolves-1504274080592.jpg”,”styleUrl”:”https:\/\/assets1.ignimgs.com\/2017\/09\/01\/houseofwolves-1504274080592_{size}.jpg”,”credit”:””,”objectRelationName”:””,”objectRelationUrl”:””,”albumName”:”Every Bungie Game Ever Reviewed by IGN”,”relativePosition”:10,”albumTotalCount”:13},{“caption”:”Reviewed by Jose Otero, September 15, 2015
Destiny: The Taken King is an awesome upgrade that\u0027s addressed most of my biggest problems with Destiny over the past year. The rewarding loot system, fun enemies, new subclasses, and many quests have kept me busy long after the strong story missions ended. The crown jewel is King\u0027s Fall, a demanding high-level activity that, despite the strict six-person requirement, will keep me playing into the late hours of the night.”,”height”:720,”width”:1280,”url”:”https:\/\/assets1.ignimgs.com\/2017\/09\/01\/taken-1504274270759.jpg”,”styleUrl”:”https:\/\/assets1.ignimgs.com\/2017\/09\/01\/taken-1504274270759_{size}.jpg”,”credit”:””,”objectRelationName”:””,”objectRelationUrl”:””,”albumName”:”Every Bungie Game Ever Reviewed by IGN”,”relativePosition”:11,”albumTotalCount”:13},{“caption”:”Reviewed by Kallie Plagge, September 27, 2016
Rise of Iron has just enough new content to keep me coming back for a while, but it feels like the bare minimum. When I wasn\u2019t absentmindedly grinding against reskinned enemies until I couldn\u2019t do it anymore, I was falling down the rabbit hole of side quests and trying out new weapons while patrolling the Plaguelands. The satisfying but still not groundbreaking raid is a decent reward at the end.”,”height”:720,”width”:1280,”url”:”https:\/\/assets1.ignimgs.com\/2017\/09\/01\/riseofiron-1504301569480.jpg”,”styleUrl”:”https:\/\/assets1.ignimgs.com\/2017\/09\/01\/riseofiron-1504301569480_{size}.jpg”,”credit”:””,”objectRelationName”:””,”objectRelationUrl”:””,”albumName”:”Every Bungie Game Ever Reviewed by IGN”,”relativePosition”:12,”albumTotalCount”:13},{“caption”:”Reviewed by Destin Legarie, September 15, 2017
\r\nDestiny 2 is a blast out of the gate thanks to its excellent co-op shooter gameplay and strong storytelling in the campaign. Not all the features I\u2019d expected to find are here, but it does deliver the same kind of highly social gameplay and rewarding, loot-driven progression that helped the original keep me hooked for hundreds of hours. The main concerns right now are a few bugs and lack of event options, but I\u2019ll definitely be sticking around to see this big, action-packed universe develop over time.”,”height”:720,”width”:1280,”url”:”https:\/\/assets1.ignimgs.com\/2017\/12\/07\/destiny2-slide-1512608153239.jpg”,”styleUrl”:”https:\/\/assets1.ignimgs.com\/2017\/12\/07\/destiny2-slide-1512608153239_{size}.jpg”,”credit”:””,”objectRelationName”:””,”objectRelationUrl”:””,”albumName”:”Every Bungie Game Ever Reviewed by IGN”,”relativePosition”:13,”albumTotalCount”:13}]’
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Interestingly, he also explains that “the vast majority” of Bungie is working on future Destiny content – perhaps the minority left over is working on something brand new?
That’ll be a question we have to ponder on for now, but our own Fireteam Chat team has opinions on what the split means for Destiny and Bungie as a whole.
Joe Skrebels is IGN’s UK Deputy Editor, and he wants a Destiny XCOM crossover, please. Follow him on Twitter.