As Bungie plots a future for more Destiny, head of product Josh Deane has clarified that players don't need to "buy Marathon as a donation" just to support the studio's plans.
It's a clarification that arrived after Deane posted a community message for Destiny fans yesterday. The message, featured as part of a lengthy Q&A blog post, outlined the unvaulting process for Destiny 2 content that was previously promised last month, but one segment left players confused , and concerned , about the future and extraction shooter Marathon's role in the big picture.
"We're not going to forget the mistakes of the past, but it's time to learn from them and unify as one Bungie community," the section in question said. "For us, the majority of our Bungie team is legacy Destiny, and we will all tell you that nothing can help bridge us into future more than for Marathon to rapidly evolve and become sustainable. As we head into our December and March updates for Marathon, it’s a formative period for all of us here at Bungie that will help determine the shape of our future, so please encourage each other and know that your support gives our team the energy to finish the fight."
It's the "nothing can help us bridge us into future more than for Marathon to rapidly evolve and become sustainable" bit that's got the Destiny community so riled up. With the back-and-forth pulling Destiny 2 in and out of the fire all through the span of a few months, some believed Bungie was trying to tell its audience that picking up a copy of its new sci-fi FPS would help keep it and the studio's future secure. Deane stepped in to confirm this is not the case.
The Bungie developer said his intention was not to rest the Destiny revival on the shoulders of the fans that helped breathe life back into it earlier this year. He chalks it up to a mistranslation, "and that's on me."
"In no way is the Destiny plan contingent upon Marathon," Deane added. "Play what inspires you, whatever it is. Mainly hoping we can accomplish our goals in both lanes with a stronger relationship with our entire community!"
When one player suggested they feared they were being encouraged to purchase but never download Marathon just to support Bungie, Deane said, "Oh, don't buy Marathon as a donation or offer anything else."
"It's our job to show up for you," he added. When another fan expressed similar concern, he said, "I truly love the sentiment but only buy or play a thing that inspires you from us / you think is cool! We will find our way back home with Destiny."
So, there you have it: Destiny and Marathon don't depend upon the success of the other. As Bungie principal comms manager Dylan Gafner said, "Two cakes! One big community." That should offer some relief not only to Destiny players who feared their favorite game's future may still be in jeopardy but also to Marathon players who have feared the same.
Negativity has surrounded both games in recent months, with community members on each side going at each other as both struggled. For now, we know that the Destiny franchise will live on with a few projects. These include "celebration" content updates, a project that the team has teased as "Destiny 'Legacy'," and a mysterious "redacted" project.
For Marathon, Bungie will continue to try to revitalize the extraction shooter with Symbiosis this December. The studio also recently reassured players that the extraction component is "still a major part" of the experience as the team experiments with PvE and Deathmatch modes.
What's next for Destiny and Marathon remains to be seen, but it's clear Bungie is putting in the work to keep both afloat. While we wait to see how things pan out, you can see why the studio believes the latter struggled at launch. You can also read about how the Destiny community banded together to help the #SaveMassEffect movement.