In a surprise announcement made today by Bungie, the company has confirmed their departure from underneath the Activision umbrella and will be moving on as an independent studio for the time being.
In a blog post made earlier today, Bungie has confirmed about their partnership with Activision that started in 2010 has officially come to an end. The studio has also revealed that as an independent studio, they had hoped a partner would take a “big leap of faith” with their team. As their vision for Destiny became clear, they had learned they needed the support of an “established publishing partner,” which is where Activision came into play.
After an eight-year stint with the big-time publisher, Bungie has managed to even enjoy success with over 50 million games and expansions sold around the world through combined sales. Let alone has their success risen because of those sales, but also through their fanbase – the Guardians – that has grown past just a social status due to its inclusive approach as a community.
As the transition from Activision begins effective immediately, Bungie has confirmed that they will keep the rights to their Destiny franchise moving forward as Activision will continue to increase their focus on Activision owned IP projects. Fortunately, the transition is already underway in its earliest stages with Bungie and Activision ensuring that they are committed to making the transition as seamless as possible.
Bungie has confirmed they will continue on as an independent and global studio, one that sees unlimited opportunities with their newfound ability to explore and create. While Bungie has confirmed their ability to hang onto the publishing and developmental rights to Destiny; the team has not opened up whether or not this will impact the ongoing development of Destiny 3 even in its earliest stages.
The split, however, only comes after Destiny 2 and its heavy-handed criticism about lack of content, how content delivery has been handled, and even its troublesome use of ‘loot boxes’ in the past with seasonal event items having been previously locked behind them. Even our very own review criticized Destiny 2 for a lack of content and performance issues during its launch but even continued on with such in our review for Destiny 2 – DLC I: Warmind, which launched in the first year of the game’s existence.
Now, it seems that Bungie might be able to create the game they want and do so without oversight from others to deliver the experience and stories they want their fans to have moving forward. You can read the full statement from Bungie down below.
“When we first launched our partnership with Activision in 2010, the gaming industry was in a pretty different place. As an independent studio setting out to build a brand new experience, we wanted a partner willing to take a big leap of faith with us. We had a vision for Destiny that we believed in, but to launch a game of that magnitude, we needed the support of an established publishing partner.
With Activision, we created something special. To date, Destiny has delivered a combination of over 50 million games and expansions to players all around the world. More importantly, we’ve also witnessed a remarkable community – tens of millions of Guardians strong – rise up and embrace Destiny, to play together, to make and share memories, and even to do truly great things that reach far beyond the game we share, to deliver a positive impact on people’s everyday lives.
We have enjoyed a successful eight-year run and would like to thank Activision for their partnership on Destiny. Looking ahead, we’re excited to announce plans for Activision to transfer publishing rights for Destiny to Bungie. With our remarkable Destiny community, we are ready to publish on our own, while Activision will increase their focus on owned IP projects.
The planned transition process is already underway in its early stages, with Bungie and Activision both committed to making sure the handoff is as seamless as possible.
With Forsaken, we’ve learned, and listened, and leaned in to what we believe our players want from a great Destiny experience. Rest assured there is more of that on the way. We’ll continue to deliver on the existing Destiny roadmap, and we’re looking forward to releasing more seasonal experiences in the coming months, as well as surprising our community with some exciting announcements about what lies beyond.
Thank you so much for your continued support. Our success is owed in no small part to the incredible community of players who have graced our worlds with light and life. We know self-publishing won’t be easy; there’s still much for us to learn as we grow as an independent, global studio, but we see unbounded opportunities and potential in Destiny. We know that new adventures await us all on new worlds filled with mystery, adventure, and hope. We hope you’ll join us there.
See you starside.
BUNGiE”
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About the Writer(s):
Dustin is our native console gamer, PlayStation and Nintendo reviewer who has an appetite for anything that crosses the borders from across the big pond. His interest in JRPG’s, Anime, Handheld Gaming, and Pizza is insatiable. His elitist attitude gives him direction, want, and a need for the hardest difficulties in games, which is fun to watch, and hilarity at its finest. You can find him over on Twitter or Facebook.