The destiny of Destiny is starting to look a bit murky. A sequel to Activision and Bungie’s MMO-shooter was supposed to arrive this September, but according to a recent insider report from Kotaku, Destiny 2 has been pushed back indefinitely.
Word is, the delay has been caused by Bungie’s struggles to develop new DLC and events for the original Destiny, while also working on a full sequel. As a result, new content for Destiny has diminished to a trickle, with Bungie being very vague about what future plans for the game are. It’s a worst of both worlds scenario, with neither Destiny nor Destiny 2 getting the attention it deserves.
Is Bungie suffering from management problems? It certainly seems like it, as last night it was announced that longtime Bungie president Harold Ryan has fallen on his sword. Ryan has been president of Bungie since their Halo heyday in the early 2000s, so this is a major departure.
Harold Ryan hasn’t said anything about about why he left the company, but Bungie CEO Pete Parsons did release a brief statement…
“I want to personally thank Harold for his friendship, passion, hard work, and dedication in helping make Bungie the great company it is today. To the players of Destiny, I want you to know that my number one priority, and Bungie’s, is and always has been to deliver great games that we can all share together. I believe that Destiny is a one-of-a-kind experience. I also believe you have yet to see our studio’s best work. My new role here at the studio will be entirely focused on fulfilling that promise.”
Ryan isn’t the only high-profile departure Bungie has had lately. Halo head-writer Joseph Staten and Destiny lead-designer Josh Hamrick also hit the road recently.
You kinda have to feel bad for Bungie. Trying to maintain an MMO while also building regular sequels just doesn’t make sense. There’s a reason Blizzard has never made a World of Warcraft 2.