Questions from the AIAS:
A big congrats on your #DICEAward wins! How does it feel for the team to be a #DICEAwards winner?
Our team was thrilled to be honored by their peers with some D.I.C.E. accolades. A lot of hard work and imagination went into making Destiny. Seeing the end result be played by so many passionate people is the obvious reward, but industry recognition is a humbling gift for which we’re extremely grateful.
What are you and the team most looking forward to in 2015?
Right now, all sights are set on giving players fresh adventures to enjoy in the House of Wolves. This is a chance for us to tell some new stories in the world of Destiny, and expose players to some new activities that we’ve cooked up to change the experience again. We’ve enjoyed a spirited symbiosis with our community in making Destiny better, and the next expansion contains a lot of evidence for that partnership. Beyond House of Wolves, of course, there are yet other worlds to reveal.
Are there any fun Easter Eggs that people may not have noticed in Destiny?
We’ll never tell. Easter eggs are to be hunted.
Do you and the team have any favorite memories of developing the game?
The Alpha and Beta tests for Destiny were very exciting moments for the team. Every single developer at Bungie has their own favorite moment from the development process, but inviting the first players into the world we had created was a milestone we could all share. It was the first time we could play with our friends and some total strangers. The technical success and player feedback was a good sign that were on the right path toward launch.
Do you have any shout-outs or anyone else you would like to thank?
As always, we’d like to thank every single player of Destiny. You are the main characters. Your contribution to the game makes it what it is. Without you, our world is empty. Thanks for driving the action we have all shared, and thanks for letting us know what else you want to see happen in Destiny.
Questions from the fans:
Jon Jo [FB] What was the most difficult part about developing the game?
So many aspects of Destiny were new to us. We built this game using brand new tools and new technology. It’s a far more open world than anything we’ve built in the past. The character customization and progression systems were an experiment for us. Destiny represented some bold combinations of elements from many games we’ve loved, including our own. Pioneering something new is never easy. In many ways, we figured it out as we went along and we learned a lot from the players.
Muhammad Mahad [FB] What was your inspiration for the game?
The development of Destiny was guided by some essential design pillars that remained intact throughout the process. No matter how much our vision for the final product may have changed throughout the exploration, we were able to stay our original ideas. We wanted to create a world that you would want to explore – a bright and hopeful place that is threatened by immense danger. Our goal was to make unique heroes of each our players, and give them a wide variety of fun things to do with their friends. Given the tales of adventure told by the community, we’re pretty happy with the results.
Charles Shattuck [FB] With the feedback you've received from players, what will you do differently going forward when it comes to delivering fresh content?
The players of Destiny are never at a loss for feedback. That’s why they’re always a part of our process. We talk about them every day. There are entire teams at Bungie devoted to reading their comments and planning how we’ll support the game over the immediate and longer term. Many of the updates we’ve made to the game since launch were directly influenced by the community. We’ve changed everything from enemy encounters to weapon balance. We’ve tweaked ammunition economies in the Crucible and provided new ways to track your legend. The purple ball in the Tower even got a makeover. Our community is always a prized asset when it comes to planning the future of our games.
Ramon Morbioli de Souza [FB] What have you absorbed from your time with the game as a whole (development, playing through to the end by yourself, watching people reactions, getting awards). What stayed with you after all was said and done?
The community stories have been amazing. Seeing their dance parties in the Tower was a long-held dream come true. Hearing their cries of celebration as they took down a Raid boss put a huge smile on faces. At the same time, playing the game with them has resulted in some amazing moments. Most of the people at Bungie still play Destiny every night, and everyone in the building has their own Guardian. We’ve had the chance to discover how our world works right alongside the people who have joined us there. It’s been an amazing journey and we can’t that them enough for coming along for the ride.