Back in November, Activision Blizzard released its quarterly financial results announcing that sales for
Destiny 2: Forsaken, the series' latest major expansion, have not lived up to the publisher's high expectations. During that earning call, Activision promised investors that Bungie would create new content much faster, as the company was also thinking about new forms of monetization at the time.
That statement has seemingly been more important than one would think, as it led to
Destiny 2 Director Luke Smith's quick response that the development team was "
not disappointed" by the initial sales numbers. Since then, many reports have been published, indicating that Bungie was trying to end the deal with Activision. Today, Bungie announced that they successfully managed to do just that.
Bungie and Activision are officially bringing their eight-year
Destiny partnership to an end, as Bungie will acquire publishing rights to the acclaimed MMOFPS series from Activision, and will self-publish future games. “
Today, we’re announcing plans for Bungie to assume full publishing rights and responsibilities for the Destiny franchise,” Bungie and Activision said in a joint statement.
“
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.”
“
Looking ahead, we’re excited to announce plans for Activision to transfer publishing rights for Destiny to Bungie. With our remarkable Destiny community, we are ready to publish on our own, while Activision will increase their focus on owned IP projects." Bungie said in an update posted on its website. “
The planned transition process is already underway in its early stages, with Bungie and Activision both committed to making sure the handoff is as seamless as possible.”
"
Thank you so much for your continued support. Our success is owed in no small part to the incredible community of players who have graced our worlds with light and life. We know self-publishing won’t be easy; there’s still much for us to learn as we grow as an independent, global studio, but we see unbounded opportunities and potential in Destiny. We know that new adventures await us all on new worlds filled with mystery, adventure, and hope. We hope you’ll join us there. See you starside,"
Destiny Dev Team concluded.
Although Bungie's (full of unexpected twists and turns) partnership with Activision is officially coming to an end, the Windows PC version of
Destiny 2 “
will still receive full support on BattleNet and we do not anticipate any disruption to our services or your gameplay experience,” Blizzard said on Twitter.
According to a recent leak,
Destiny 3 is already being developed at Bungie and Art Director for
Destiny Christopher Barrett and
Destiny 2 Director Luke Smith are apparently involved in the project.
Following years of strife, what remains of the Reef has fallen to lawlessness. You and Cayde-6 are sent to personally investigate the recent unrest. Upon arrival, you soon discover the most-wanted criminals in the Prison of Elders have organized an escape. Beyond the Vanguard’s authority, you’ll pursue these fugitives deep into the Reef. Explore new regions, awaken new powers, earn powerful weapons, and uncover long lost Awoken secrets. The hunt is on.
Destiny 2's Forsaken expansion is out NOW for PlayStation 4, PC and Xbox One.