Despite being relatively divisive, the Destiny franchise has achieved notable popularity and kept developer Bungie busy in the years since it parted ways with the iconic Halo series it created. With this in mind, it might seem safe to assume the studio would continue to focus exclusively on Destiny 2 and its potential successors, but Bungie has revealed it's working on other projects. None of these have been fully unveiled, but trademarks and other bits of information give fans some clues about what Bungie's next game will be like.
Bungie CEO Pete Parsons revealed in late 2020 that Bungie has been developing new games over the last three years - a span that predates the developer's split with Destiny's former publisher, Activision. While Bungie hasn't detailed any of its new projects, Parsons discussed so-called "incubations," potential games currently in development.
Bungie has been hiring developers for multiple positions specifically related to these incubations, with job titles like "Incubation Staff Systems Designer." The Bungie job listing for "Incubation Art Director" provides some particularly useful hints at what one of these projects could entail.
"Would you like to work on something comedic with lighthearted and whimsical characters? Do you think a lot about how art impacts gameplay, how character design can enable fan cosplays, or how character poses and environments speak to different cultures all around the world?"
In 2018, Bungie filed a trademark for "MATTER," a "computer game software" and "entertainment service" product, with the European Union Intellectual Property Office. MATTER's designation as "electronic games services" hints it could be a live-service game, which Bungie has plenty of experience with via the Destiny series.
What Bungie's New MATTER Game Could Be Like After Destiny
From the information currently available, though, it doesn't seem Bungie will be trying to make something like Destiny. Some, like TheGamer, speculate MATTER will be a more traditional RPG, based on other Bungie job listings. However, with the "Incubation Art Director" position's focus on comedy, memorable character designs, and competitive gameplay, it looks like the new IP could potentially be a hero shooter. Not only have these traits become synonymous with the genre, but Bungie investor NetEase is the company behind Blizzard's Chinese distribution of Overwatch (along with other Blizzard games). NetEase seems to have a niche in AAA gaming, and Bungie's new IP might be geared towards that.
Granted, none of these Bungie job listings have been connected directly to MATTER, so they could each be for unrelated projects that may never even see the light of day. As such, MATTER has the potential to be a lot of things. Hints so far are pointing to something hero shooter-y, but who's to say Bungie won't also mix in a little Destiny-style MMORPG?