Want vs Need (Destiny)

by Kermit , Raleigh, NC, Thursday, July 31, 2014, 16:41 (3768 days ago) @ kapowaz

It requires a certain amount of trust from their fans, but they've earned that trust from me. I like when a company, be they Apple or Bungie, has the courage of their convictions and the confidence that they are building something special that they like and are excited about.

I find the comparison with Apple to be interesting, because in certain ways it's true, but in others it's different. For one thing, once Apple does release something, they don't skimp on the details (yes, I know the game hasn't actually been released yet, but we're so close we can almost smell it. Do you smell it? ‘Cos I can smell it) — it's either completely secret, or it's completely in the open. Not so with Bungie.

Also, for years now developers have complained about Apple having exactly the kind of aloof, vague and unhelpful attitude towards their third-party developer community that I'd say Bungie suffers from at times, but at this year's WWDC it seems that Apple has done a complete about-face and is embracing a far more open attitude. The reaction from developers was overwhelmingly positive, and is best summed up in this tweet:

My 2¢: for the past few years it's felt like Apple's only goal was to put us in our place. Now it feels like they might want to be friends.

It's stuff like makes me certain that a less aloof attitude would be positive for Bungie. Showing the fanbase a little bit of the thinking that goes into the process builds engagement and investment; for all the people who are saying they enjoy the mystery, I don't think that will go away, we'll just get a different perspective on things when they do share them.

It's a different situation. Developers need a certain amount of info from Apple to do their job. (See the subject line.) Let's take it as a given that Bungie has tested the heck out of Destiny, so they've got feedback from gamers and to that extent making the game has been a collaborative endeavor. Beyond that, they need only share enough with us to sell us the game--at this stage anyway.

Another analogy is film directors. There are only a handful of directors whose movies I'll go see without reading reviews of their films, but I cherish them, because I get to experience what they offer having no or few preconceived notions going in. I'm the same way with Bungie games.