Good post. (Destiny)

by Kermit , Raleigh, NC, Wednesday, November 01, 2023, 09:06 (373 days ago) @ Coaxkez

Alright, so Marathon is clearly the Next Big Thing (TM) for Bungie. It is receiving the lion's share of the company's attention and resources internally and is being funded by the revenue stream from Destiny 2. That revenue stream is now failing to meet expectations, which is threatening the future growth potential of the entire company, so something has to change. I get that. I was quite negative on Marathon back when it was announced and my position today has not changed. I mean, just take a step back here. Bungie has spent over a decade fine-tuning one of the most miserable PvP experiences in modern gaming -- by almost every single metric -- and their Hail Mary move is to take that "expertise" to a PvP-exclusive title and double down on games-as-a-service? That's the play to secure the future of the company?

Really?!

It's not that I oppose PvP-centric games on principle or that I am necessarily against games-as-a-service. (It's often designed exploitatively, but it can work with smart designers at the helm.) It's just that I am not convinced by Bungie's strategy at all. How can you possibly think of going PvP-exclusive when your current PvP model is complete ass?! They can’t even get matchmaking right.

So yes, I recognize that these layoffs represent a strategic move to bolster Marathon's development cycle as much as possible (arguably), since that is where the company has chosen to place the lion's share of its hopes for the future... but I question the entire strategy here. This really does not feel like a good direction for the company overall.

...

I hate being so negative. I would really, really love to offer something positive here. Bungie is a great developer with a long track record of delivering world-class titles to the industry. They shaped my adolescence and informed my love of video games more than any other single developer. I want Marathon to prove me wrong and succeed beyond anyone's wildest dreams, both creatively and monetarily, as a new world-class title in the storied Bungie canon.

I just struggle to see any trace of the company that actually built that canon anymore.

On the other hand, they (or some past form of "they") did kind of invent Xbox Live PVP. I seriously doubt a PVP-only game-as-a-service will be a thing for me, but I hope they know what they're doing. I wish them well.