It has come to my attention that gamers are looking at new studio acquisitions by mega publishers like Sony and Microsoft from a somewhat limited lense, about whether new games are going to be developed with larger budgets, or if more free content will be handed out in a manner similar to Xbox Game Pass, but it’s clear that the one benefiting from this deal the most will be Bungie, or more particularly, the expansive world they have built inside destiny for years.
The most important part in the GamesIndustry.biz newsletter that revealed the details of the acquisition is that Sony has offered the ability for Bungie to accelerate its own plans, which include the prospect of taking its IP to new entertainment mediums, such as TV and film. This heavily hints at new and much better ways of conveying the depth of Destiny, in a similar way to how Riot is dealing with the world and characters of the popular League of Legends.
What makes the Destiny/Bungie lore so interesting?
The world Bungie has masterfully crafted is actually about an ideological fight, symbolized by the everlasting war between Light and Darkness. The light claims that every person has a right to live, while the darkness argues that only the fittest will survive. The entities that uphold these conflicting ways of thought are fictional, but the idea itself is real, and the lore of destiny actually employs how this idea is explored in physics and mathematics through: Matter and Dark Energy.
Matter gives everything mass; it leads to the creation of stars and light, which in turn tends to life. Things like dark energy and black holes destroy life, stars and galaxies. In reality, most of the universe is actually composed of dark matter, and a small number of planets or matter inhibit each galaxy, so matter is always struggling against the bigger forces of the universe, and therefore the traveler (the player) travels through the universe to provide and enrich the power of light across different planets and allow the right of living to everyone.
This is just the tip of the iceberg on how Bungie employs various unique ways to explore this simple concept, inspired by philosophy, astronomy, mathematics and religion. Destiny’s lore is really interesting once you get down to reading it, but on the other hand, many defining moments and concepts are not explored in the game too well, and many stories and concepts in-universe could use the blessing of another form of media to actually get fleshed out in the way they deserve.
More on this topic here.
Many unknown questions an unexplored locations
There are many locations in the vast universe of destiny, some of which have never been seen before by players and only referenced in the lore or the weapon/artifact details. A dedicated fan has made a comprehensive list of these locations and their potential in the story. Trying to explore and unravel the secrets behind everything in the game form might be exhausting and even unachievable, but it might happen with sony’s experience in the media and television mediums.
The second point is that Bungie knows what type of story it’s telling, and builds towards it with player investment in mind first and foremost. It allows for a great deal of theorizing and predictions with ties that are actually believable and well constructed, and dedicated fans who endeavor to join the world of destiny could actually see the future of the series and what each story arc is trying to achieve, and that policy has kept the game living for years and years despite the Activision drama.
What I am trying to say is that, unlike other online story shooters and probably some single-player franchises as well, Bungie is not actually milking destiny. It has something it wants to say, something grand and deep and ambitious, which has become rare in today’s games that strive for ease of accessibility and restarting stories from scratch for new players. That’s why the prospects of films and television series that explore all these left-out hints, will feel very rewarded and appreciated.
It’s worth getting into it now more than ever
Since Bungie left Activision, they have been making a lot of adjustments to the formula to help players get into the action much quicker. They started by adding a series of “New Light” tutorial quests that introduce the players to the basics of Destiny, in addition to making half of the game entirely free to play. Among other things such as reducing power cap levels and the time needed for new players to catch up with veterans.
The developers also recently added a timeline in the in-game menu that lets you review the events of previous events and expansions and learn about the important plot/character moments. It only covers the span of the second destiny, but it’s enough to immerse the players in the universe without getting into much trouble. Not to mention they already announced their plans for three more years, so the future is just more brighter from here on.
All these incentives, and much much more in the game keep me intrigued for the future of destiny and a multi-media franchise that is able to rival the most popular fantasy universes and establish its own brand of sci-fi with the right amount of direction. Players should not be intimidated by the fact that its just another shooter. If you are a person with a fondness for a new and unique storytelling with the right amount of depth and sci-fi influences, the last acquisition news should be a source of great excitement for you if you decided to get into the game with the right mindset.