This Week At Bungie - 05/11/2017 0h - DeeJ

This week at Bungie, we're on the edge of our seats.

The people working on Destiny 2 are more anxious than the players they're eager to serve. It's been more than a month since we first revealed an attack on our City. Now we're going to show you how we'll fight back. At this hour, the Destiny 2 Gameplay Premiere is officially less than one week away.

One. Week. pic.twitter.com/GEeqZvHmER

— Bungie (@Bungie) May 11, 2017

That was fun to say!

Seven days from now, there will be no new information to read on this blog. The details you've been seeking will be in your hands. You'll be passing them back and forth, talking about what it all means to you. Guardians attending the event - some of whom you probably follow - will be going on record with impressions from a first-person, hands-on perspective.

This has every single person on the Bungie team excited (except for that one person who's always cranky). Years ago, when we first started talking about what we wanted our brave new world to be, it was Jason Jones, the original Game Director for Destiny, who said it best:

"The fantasy you have when you're creating an experience is that someone else is going to enjoy it..."

That's what brings us into work every day, and though it's not easy, there are few of us who think of it as work. We get to build worlds where fascinating people like you can come together. For some time now, while you've been exploring the world of Destiny, we've been building new worlds and packing them full of action and mystery.

Next week, we're opening a door to our next adventure. Jones is still around, but the torch has been passed to a new Game Director, backed up by a team who has watched every step the Guardians have taken together into the unknown. We've tackled the immense responsibility of earning the right to put a number on the box. In a matter of days, we're going to Los Angeles to tell you how we've risen to that challenge.

A lot has been said about who gets to attend this event. The correct answer is "Everyone!" The revelation will be televised -- or "streamed" to be accurate, but that gets in the way of a catchy old phrase. If you're used to watching our streams, report to the usual outpost. If you want to browse some new options to follow the message in your own language, we just might have you covered this time.

The Destiny 2 Gameplay Premiere is an important moment for our community. We hope you'll all be a part of the live audience. This is the perfect moment to reach back out into the void and reunite the wayward players on your friends list. A new Destiny adventure is about to begin, and we'll need every Guardian at the ready.

We take the next step together in one week.

Bungie IRL

In our continuing mission to make the world we actually live in a better place, I'm passing the space-magic-powered megaphone to Bungie Foundation Manager Christine Edwards.

How goes our other campaign, Christine?

Christine: The Men in Kilts fundraising competition was a huge success! The event raised a record $88,960 in support of the Ronald McDonald House, equating to 2,965 nights in which a patient and their family will not have to pay for housing while they receive treatment at Seattle Children's Hospital. Your generosity put Bungie squarely in 1st place as Kings of the Kilt, with $30,000 raised!

Now we're shifting our focus to the Gauntlet Tabletop Tournament fundraiser, supporting Treehouse.  Check out how Mox Boarding House's charitable arm, ENGAGE, chose Treehouse to be this year's beneficiary.

At last count, Team Bungie has raised about $11,000. Let's show Treehouse the same love that we showed the Ronald McDonald House! Help us get to $30,000 by heading to our Donation Page and committing your support by Sunday, May 21.

Don't forget about the sweet backer rewards for your contribution:*

• $50 - The "Eye of Eternity" player emblem
  
• $100 - The prize above, plus a "Programmer Art" caricature of you
  (We can't guarantee it'll be good, but it will be funny!)
  
• $250 - All prizes above, plus play Destiny with a Bungie Dev**
  
• $500 - All prizes above, plus lunch with Team Bungie
  (transportation and lodging not included)

*You'll receive an email no later than Friday, June 2, about the fulfillment of each reward.
**If you donate $250 separately to each of the Men in Kilts and Gauntlet fundraisers, you will be able to play Destiny twice with a different Bungie Dev!

The Upside of Downtime

Think of your favorite game like a racecar. You can't keep it red-lined on the track every moment of every day. Sometimes, you need to tighten a seal here and loosen a bolt there. Better upkeep means better performance - sometimes in ways you can barely detect. Similarly, when Destiny is down for maintenance, the Player Support Team is your pit crew.

This is their report.

Destiny Server Maintenance and Downtime
Server maintenance has been rescheduled for the following date and time:

Date: Wednesday, May 17
Start: 10AM Pacific (5 PM UTC)
Expected completion: 2PM Pacific (9 PM UTC)

Players will be unable to sign in to Destiny servers for the duration of this maintenance. Additionally, some Bungie.net and Destiny Companion features will be unavailable. For all vital information about server maintenance, please see this Help Article. If you experience any issues signing in once maintenance has completed, please post a report to the #Help forum.

Bungie.net Stat Issues
We have identified an issue blocking all Iron Banner Mayhem Clash statistics from appearing on Bungie.net. A deployment to address this issue on Bungie.net is being scheduled and is expected to arrive next week. Please note the following:

• Post Game Carnage Reports from completed Iron Banner activities are expected to become available once this issue has been addressed
  
• Please allow 24-48 hours after resolution for statistics to process and appear on Bungie.net
  

We are continuing to investigate an alternate issue where a small amount of statistics from other Crucible game types are not appearing on Bungie.net. Stay tuned to @BungieHelp on Twitter for more information as it becomes available.

Eyes Wide Blindfolded

It's hard to become legend if no one is around to appreciate you. Fortunately, the Guardians have a community manager who is always on the hunt for a Bounty for you to chase or a sweet video to melt your face. Here he comes, with a heart for glory and a cache of Emblems.

Cozmo: The Bungie Bounty is heading across the pond this week. Our brave volunteer goes by the name of Arekkz. He will be representing the UK on Xbox. Go get him!

Bungie Bounty: Arekkz
Region: United Kingdom
When:  10 AM Pacific 5/13/2017
Console: XB1
Playlist: Control

The Sign of Opposing Will is at stake during this event. To seize it, match with Arekkz and emerge victorious. Do that and your Emblem should arrive in your Collection within one week. For more details, check out our Bungie Bounty FAQ.

Cozmo: Movie of the Week is a long-standing tradition here on This Week at Bungie. We take great pleasure in looking through all the great stuff our community creates and picking a few favorites to share.

If your movie is picked as a winner, you will be given this sweet Emblem. To make sure you are eligible to win, submit your film to the Creations page. Here's what caught our eye this week.  

Movie of the Week:  Flying Blind

Honorable Mention: Bad Luck

Honorable Mention: Community Montage

Late-Breaking Bonus: Sword and Shield

The countdown has begun. The event has been scheduled.

Can anyone among us hold their breath for seven days? I can't, and it's making me dizzy. [explosive exhale]

I'm going to go home and pack. Can't wait to fly again. I keep holding down the "Return to Orbit" button and nothing is happening.

DeeJ, out.