Home Industry Gaming and VFX There has been news of a Desti...
Gaming and VFX
Business Fortune
15 October, 2024
Rumors of a Destiny 2 mobile game have intensified, especially after Bungie laid off 220 developers. Those rumors are now confirmed, as Netease announced Destiny: Rising—a mobile prequel to the current game.
Set in "an alternate Destiny timeline" in the post-Collapse period, Destiny: Rising is marketed as an "epic" free-to-play mobile shooter. A variety of singleplayer, cooperative, and multiplayer modes are reportedly available, some of which will be recognizable to existing Destiny gamers.
Look, panic and skepticism are the natural reactions here, are they not? It seems that a studio that overextended itself is partly to blame for Bungie's recent problems, not the least of which were the widespread layoffs earlier this year. The player base of Destiny does not desire a mobile version, and any effort put into making one will seem pointless to a community that is longing for stability from the series' developer. However, it appears that Bungie is just marginally involved with this.
The press release for Destiny: Rising seems to go to considerable lengths to inform us that this is largely a Netease collaboration, possibly for the reasons mentioned above. It states, "Developed and published by NetEase Games and officially licensed by Bungie," putting the struggling Bellevue firm in a neutral position in relation to this news. The trailer reinforces this notion. The labeling of this as an "alternate Destiny timeline" appears to be separating Rising from the original series. Contradictions in lore? Inconsistencies in character? Timeline change, innit.
Regarding the specifics, Netease has outlined some information on how everything will operate. In addition to customizing their character, Wolf, players will have the opportunity to interact with and play as other characters, such as Ikora Rey. Activities include Gauntlet Ops, which the official website refers to as "raid-like," and Haven Ops strike missions, which are undoubtedly comparable to the Vanguard Ops in the main game.