In shocking news, Bungie and Activision will be parting ways after teaming up to create the Destiny franchise. This news arrives following statements from both parties that confirm that Activison will be handing off the Destiny IP to Bungie, as the development studio prepares to self-publish the series moving forward.
There is still said to be a fair bit of transition left to be done, but Bungie has assured its fans that they and Activision are working to make the transfer a seamless one. Even then, this announcement is sure to blindside gamers that have been actively playing supporting Destiny 2 and all of its corresponding downloadable content. Although, this may not be the case for anyone tracking reports of disappointing sales for Destiny 2's Forsaken DLC.
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The joint statement that was posted on Activision's Twitter account states the following about the split:
"Today, we’re announcing plans for Bungie to assume full publishing rights and responsibilities for the Destiny franchise. Going forward, Bungie will own and develop the franchise, and Activision will increase its focus on owned IP and other projects. Activision and Bungie are committed to a seamless transition for the Destiny franchise and will continue to work closely together during the transition on behalf of the community of Destiny players around the world.”
Despite the separation of the two coming across as an initial shock given the notoriety of the Destiny franchise, there are reports emerging that this isn't all that surprising to those familiar with longstanding drama behind the scenes between Activision and Bungie. According to a series of tweets from Kotaku news editor Jason Schreier, there has been a lot of tension between the two companies for a while.
With thoughts that this 10-year deal would be wrapping up ahead of schedule based on drama even prior to the launch of the original Destiny in 2014, it's clear that the partnership wasn't all that great for staff members at Bungie. The alleged excitement from the team is also indicative of that belief, provided Schreier's sources are concrete. Now, however, attention will turn to the future of the Destiny franchise.
Destiny 2 support will continue to be present for the foreseeable future, but whether or not Bungie will follow through with a third iteration of the franchise remains to be seen. Although, it's been said that Bungie is working on a game outside of the Destiny franchise, which could be the new focus if true.
It's also sure to be a little awkward given the fact that Destiny 2 is currently available on Blizzard's digital storefront. Given that this split comes hot on the heels of executives departing Activision, it's looking likely that there's potential for a lot more change to come. And it really makes you think of how things are going between Activision and Blizzard who are currently feeling similar potentially pressure from the publisher.