Destiny developer Bungie says it has addressed an issue where players have had their usernames changed by its "name moderation tool".After "actively investigating" the issue for 24 hours, Bungie advised that while it had "identified the issue that was forcing a high number of Bungie name changes", it was "continuing to investigate" what happened and how "to address player accounts that were impacted".Although Bungie acknowledged that a "high number of account names have been changed", the studi
Destiny developer Bungie says it has addressed an issue where players have had their usernames changed by its "name moderation tool".
After "actively investigating" the issue for 24 hours, Bungie advised that while it had "identified the issue that was forcing a high number of Bungie name changes", it was "continuing to investigate" what happened and how "to address player accounts that were impacted".
Although Bungie acknowledged that a "high number of account names have been changed", the studio stopped short of confirming exactly how many players were affected.
“You were always my favourite. Never forget that…”
After nearly a decade in the making, the final chapter of the Light and Darkness saga is finally here, bringing with it the closing chapter of one of gaming’s most divisive franchises: Destiny. After arguably what was one of the worst years for Destiny 2 following the subpar Lightfall expansion, the decision to delay TFS until mid-2024 was ultimately a smart one, allowing Bungie the time to cook the expansion to perfection, following the exc
“You were always my favourite. Never forget that…”
After nearly a decade in the making, the final chapter of the Light and Darkness saga is finally here, bringing with it the closing chapter of one of gaming’s most divisive franchises: Destiny. After arguably what was one of the worst years for Destiny 2 following the subpar Lightfall expansion, the decision to delay TFS until mid-2024 was ultimately a smart one, allowing Bungie the time to cook the expansion to perfection, following the excellent Into the Light update that bridged the gap following the news of the delay. Despite following the longest season on record and having a bit of a rough start over the first couple of days, The Final Shape has launched to near enough universal acclaim from the player base, leaving many reeling for more following the conclusion of the campaign and our final stand against the Witness, leaving many wondering what comes next for the franchise. After releasing on the 4th June 2024 for all major platforms, I’m going to be covering the time I’ve spent with the PS5 version of the game; detailing the good and deconstructing the bad, whilst ultimately giving you my impressions as to whether the game is worth your time and money at the £41.99 asking price (UK PSN Store).
WARNING: THIS REVIEW CONTAINS HEAVY SPOILERS FOR THE FINAL SHAPE, CARRY ON AT YOUR OWN PERIL.
When the Destiny Beta dropped on PlayStation 4 in July 2014, I was instantly drawn into the world and its atmosphere from minute zero. There was nothing quite like the experience I had with the beta at the time, the game’s environment design and world building struck a chord like nothing before; here was our universe, albeit filled with mystery and secrets that were just begging to be uncovered. Whilst the narrative in the final game was somewhat sub-par, it was Bungie’s environmental storytelling of a much bigger narrative (as well as the controversial Grimoire cards) that solidified my interest in the franchise as a whole; mysteries and stories that would be uncovered over the course of Bungie’s ’10-year plan’ for the franchise. In addition to the narrative, the multiplayer aspect was a standout feature for the game as well; even though online multiplayer was well established by this point (all beef was settled in the map Rust on Modern Warfare 2 back a day) Destiny just hit different, feeling more MMO-like in scale, whilst retaining its looter-shooter identity at its core. My fondest memory of OG Destiny was the first time I ever completed the Vault of Glass raid, meeting people from around the world (LFG was a lot friendlier in those times) and working together through communication and challenges was an exhilarating experience, that solidified my already strong fondness for the franchise as whole, to the point that I’m still here nearly a decade later (through most of the franchises warts and moles to boot).
Destiny 2 was more of a mixed bag upon release, with many holding the state of D1 at it’s end in high regard and dismissing the core changes made to Destiny 2 at launch, leading Bungie down a path of reverting a number of changes (the removal of random rolls was just silly) that would not bring the game back into a favourable state until the release of Forsaken (Destiny 2’s equivalent of The Taken King). The expansions that followed (Shadowkeep and Beyond Light) were both fairly well received, with The Witch Queen being a particular high note for many players, and last year’s expansion: Lightfall falling short somewhat (you can check out my full review here) leading to one of the worst years for Destiny 2 player retention (although the Into The Light update was excellent). With tensions at an all time high between Bungie and the player base, there was a lot riding on The Final Shape to deliver a powerful ending to the saga that delivers on multiple fronts, tying off long-standing lore and story strands that have been brewing since those initial moments in OG Destiny, whilst also holding down content that will keep the player base engaged beyond the narrative conclusion. I’m happy to report that the extra time that Bungie spent cooking paid off, delivering an expansion that is arguably up there with the best of the franchise.
Don’t break my heart, my achy, pale heart: The Final Shape takes our Guardian inside the heart of the Traveller to face down the Witness, after arguably one long year of staring at the prismatic triangle.
Straight out of the gate The Final Shape throws down its hands right into mixing up the nostalgia, giving those who haven’t played the game in a while (or those simply wanting a refresher) a recap of the major story beats that have taken place over the last 10 years, as well as the story’s culmination point; the being known as the Witness, who seeks to create the final shape of the universe, calcified into eternity in the name of so called “Salvation”. Following Crow at the end of Season on the Wish, the campaign finds us diving head first into the opening created by the spirit of Riven, right into the pale heart of the traveller, to be greeted by a long-lost ally in the form of Cayde-6 (voiced one again by the excellent Nathan Fillion). The reunion between our Guardian and Cayde-6 is easily one of my favourite moments of the franchise; the fact that he’s also playing the theme to Forsaken (the expansion where Uldren Sov killed him) on a harmonica makes the scene all the more poignant. The narrative this time around is far more linear in scope, with the Pale Heart destination acting as a side-to-side destination that you fight your way across over the course of the campaign, learning more about the traveller, the Darkness as well as the Witness, ultimately discovering the means of defeating the entity, once and for all. The mission structure is more personal also, focusing on rebuilding the vanguard in the pale heart rendition of the old tower from D1, helping them through their own doubts and struggles as a result. One key moment that finally showcased Big Blue’s tragic backstory to a significant degree was the mission Exegesis, voiced now by Keith David following the passing of Lance Riddick in 2023. The loss of his wife Safia and son Hakim are the driving force behind Zavala as a character, which are even more poignant in The Final Shape, showcasing his ambivalence of being a Lightbearer, and his admission that they should look to the darkness for answers in response to The Witness’ salvation.
Following in the Witch Queen and Lightfall’s footsteps, The Final Shape once again offers both a legendary campaign that increases the difficulty for a greater challenge, and when considering the weight of the battles ahead, it feels only fitting to play the campaign the way it was meant to be played, rewarding you with a complete set of gear right in the middle of the power grind at 1960. The narrative is comprised of around 7 main missions (8 if you include the new Strike) and works at setting up the different areas of the Pale Heart for the guardian to later explore (the patrol zone is completely solo this time around). Upon reaching the campaigns final moments, it becomes clear that the narrative isn’t quite yet over, and whilst the means of destroying have been discovered (those creepy blanket statues discovered during Shadowkeep now show their true purpose) it will take a world’ s first completion of the new raid ‘Salvation’s Edge’ during the 48h contest mode where a fireteam can finally undo the Witness’ chokehold on the traveller for good, leaving them vulnerable to the finishing blow. With only one clear within the first 24 hours, Salvation’s Edge is being dubbed as the hardest raid that Bungie has ever released, to the point where me and my own clan are still yet to get a completion down; mechanically, this is Destiny raiding at it’s best. Following the completion of the world’s first, a new 12-man activity (recalling the Garden of Salvation raid glitch was brilliant here) was unlocked called Excision, and I have to say that this activity (complete with its cutscenes) was one of the best experiences I’ve had in gaming, period. Excision acts as Destiny’s equivalent to the Battle of Helm’s Deep; nearly every character we’ve had dealings with over the last 10 years makes an appearance for the final battle (from the Drifter to Savathûn) all lending aid in the form of various buffs over the course of the 40 minute long battle against the Witness’ forces (including the new enemy type called the Dread) ultimately leading to the 12 guardians channelling the light (think the Care Bear Stare) and ultimately destroying the Witness for good, but not without our Ghost taking a battering as a result. Ghost shows signs of wear and tear over the course of the campaign, but what transpires at the end of Excision is enough to bring the toughest SOB on the planet to tears, acting as a perfect conclusion to such a momentous battle.
Guardian Excision-hands: The final activity of the campaign: Excision, is the Destiny 2 equivalent of the Battle for Helm’s Deep, acting as the perfect conclusion to the Light and Darkness Saga.
So, we’ve established that the narrative for TFS is excellent, but what about the gameplay? Large and part Destiny 2 plays how it always has, its looter/shooter core has remained largely the same, with additions being made on top for more emergent gameplay. The biggest addition is the inclusion of the prismatic subclass, which takes the best fragments, aspects and supers from all of the 3.0 loadouts from recent years and combines them into a singular subclass, allowing you to synergise your favourite builds into one. As a Hunter main, the combination of Winter’s Shroud, Combination Blow, Stylish Executioner and the exotic Liar’s Handshake is downright one of the most broken, fun builds I’ve ever used, acting as a perfect synergy between top-tier arc and void subclasses. The primary new mechanic is the new transcendence skill which situates itself beneath the super meter; as you deal damage with light and dark abilities/weapons, this meter builds which is then activated with a press of L3 and R3, increasing damage resistance, weapon damage, as well as your grenade and melee abilities recharge much faster, but the cream of the crop is the new prismatic grenades that each class has access to during this state.
Other gameplay additions worth mentioning are the new UI which sees the buffs and debuffs remain on the left-hand side of the screen, weapon perks are now above the super bar, and mission critical information (like DPS windows for raids) are now at the top of the screen in a larger font. Small changes like this make the game that much more fluid and easier to track, showcasing Destiny 2’s stellar combat better than ever before. In addition is the new pathfinder system, which replaces weekly vendor bounties in the form of branching challenges that connect to one another, allowing you to choose a path to your powerful/pinnacle rewards through challenges based around the Pale Heart destination and playlist activities. All in all, it’s hard to fault anything that Bungie has managed to achieve with The Final Shape, the extra time in the oven has proved beyond a measure of a doubt that Bungie wanted to close off their flagship franchises’ main story arc with a bang. Whilst this isn’t the end of Destiny 2 with episodic content following for the year (the Dreadnought is returning, wooo) those that do decide to call it quits here cannot say that it didn’t have a superb ending, that made all of the years of weathering through the game’s high and lows worth every second.
A PlayStation 5 review code was provided by Premier Comms.
Destiny 2’s first season of The Final Shape, titled Episode: Echoes, is in full swing now with its second Act being added to the game just recently. As is par for the course, Episode: Echoes has brought with it numerous weapons, both new and old, and these weapons all have God Rolls. Some weapons are great, others are not so great *cough* Faith-Keeper *cough*, but here are the God Rolls for each weapon that is a part of Episode: Echoes (including three guns that aren’t available just yet but are
Destiny 2’s first season of The Final Shape, titled Episode: Echoes, is in full swing now with its second Act being added to the game just recently. As is par for the course, Episode: Echoes has brought with it numerous weapons, both new and old, and these weapons all have God Rolls. Some weapons are great, others are not so great *cough* Faith-Keeper *cough*, but here are the God Rolls for each weapon that is a part of Episode: Echoes (including three guns that aren’t available just yet but are in the Destiny API). A few of these weapons have multiple choices for each column which will be listed, you can choose which of these combinations best suits your needs/playstyle in both PVE and PVP (where applicable).
Veiled Threat – Stasis Auto Rifle (Craftable)
This 720rpm Rapid Fire Frame Auto Rifle is the first weapon that this episode has to offer. While its perks aren’t the strongest, those who need a decent Stasis Auto Rifle can aim for one of these bad boys. For PVP I recommend using Arrowhead Break to bring in the weapon’s recoil pattern a little, but you can opt to use something like Hammer-Forged if you prefer the bump in range.
PVE God Roll
Masterwork
Barrel
Mag
3rd Column
4th Column
Origin Trait
Stability
Hammer-Forged Rifling
Flared Magwell
Threat Detector
Surrounded / Headstone
Radiolaria Tranposer
PVP God Roll
Masterwork
Barrel
Mag
3rd Column
4th Column
Origin Trait
Range
Arrowhead Break / Hammer-Forged Rifling
Accurized Rounds
To The Pain
Moving Target
Radiolaria Tranposer
Corrasion – Arc Pulse Rifle (Craftable)
Joining the new Heavy Burst Pulse Rifle family alongside the likes of Aisha’s Care from Trials of the Osiris and Nullify from Salvation’s Edge, Corrasion looks to prove that this type of auto rifle is king in PVE right now. I wouldn’t necessarily recommend a Heavy Burst Pulse Rifle in PVP, but there are still options here should you choose to go down that route.
PVE God Roll
Masterwork
Barrel
Mag
3rd Column
4th Column
Origin Trait
Stability
Hammer-Forged Rifling
Flared Magwell
Enlightened Action
Voltshot
Radiolaria Tranposer
PVP God Roll
Masterwork
Barrel
Mag
3rd Column
4th Column
Origin Trait
Range
Hammer-Forged Rifling
Accurized Rounds
Air Trigger / High Impact Reserves
High Ground / Eye of the Storm
Radiolaria Tranposer
Sightline Survey – Arc Hand Cannon (Craftable)
Precision Frame Hand Cannons aren’t exactly the strongest weapons in Destiny 2. They see little to no use in PVE, with a case being made for them in PVP with the Sightline Survey. Either way, PVE and PVP players alike should find various options here. For PVE, I would recommend Enlightened Action more than Triple Tap as it has more direct synergy with Voltshot, but either perk is good.
PVE God Roll
Masterwork
Barrel
Mag
3rd Column
4th Column
Origin Trait
Range
Hammer-Forged Rifling
Flared Magwell
Enlightened Action / Triple Tap
Voltshot
Radiolaria Tranposer
PVP God Roll
Masterwork
Barrel
Mag
3rd Column
4th Column
Origin Trait
Range
Hammer-Forged Rifling
Accurized Rounds
Air Trigger / Keep Away
Precision Instrument
Radiolaria Tranposer
Timeworn Wayfarer – Solar Scout Rifle (Craftable)
Joining the stylish but, for now, underpowered Tex Mechanica style Scout Rifle family is the Timeworn Wayfarer. While initially panned for being a member of the weakest family in one of the most consistently underwhelming primary weapon types in Destiny 2, this gun is surprisingly versatile and might see more use in PVE with the incoming buff to its damage. This weapon is incredibly potent in PVP when paired with High Ground and a Radiant buff, allowing the possibility of defeating opposing Guardians in two headshots. You can choose between Smallbore or Hammer-Forged Rifling for a PVP roll, as the latter has 7 less stability but will grant you an extra metre of range.
PVE God Roll
Masterwork
Barrel
Mag
3rd Column
4th Column
Origin Trait
Stability
Smallbore / Fluted Barrel
Flared Magwell
Heal Clip
Incandescent
Radiolaria Tranposer
PVP God Roll
Masterwork
Barrel
Mag
3rd Column
4th Column
Origin Trait
Range
Smallbore / Hammer-Forged Rifling
Accurized Rounds
Keep Away
High Ground
Radiolaria Tranposer
Aberrant Action – Solar Sidearm (Craftable)
The hottest weapon in the game right now, Aberrant Action is the third member of the relatively new family of Rocket-Assisted Frame Sidearms. This is THE weapon everyone wants as the archetype is incredibly strong right now. I do NOT recommend using this in PVP, so I will only be providing a PVE god roll for this weapon. There are a number of choices but there are a few quirks to be noted with this weapon. For starters, despite being a special weapon, perks like Strategist, Pugilist, and Demolitionist provide the benefit of a primary weapon, so rather than the 20% ability energy generation, it is 10%. Either way, there is one very clear winner here: Incandescent.
PVE God Roll
Masterwork
Barrel
Mag
3rd Column
4th Column
Origin Trait
Velocity
Hard Launch
High-Explosive Ordnance
Heal Clip / Beacon Rounds
Incandescent
Radiolaria Tranposer
Chronophage – Void Trace Rifle (Craftable)
One of the few weapons that are currently not available at the time of writing, but are viewable in the Destiny API, this Void Trace Rifle looks to replace Hollow Denial which has been dominating its Void Trace Rifle field since Season of the Haunted back in 2022. Like Aberrant Action, I am not providing a PVP roll for this weapon as I don’t recommend bringing this thing into the Crucible.
PVE God Roll
Masterwork
Barrel
Mag
3rd Column
4th Column
Origin Trait
Range
Smallbore
Enhanced Battery
Repulsor Brace
Destabilizing Rounds
Radiolaria Tranposer
Faith-Keeper – Void Rocket Launcher (Craftable)
Look, not all weapons in each episode can be a banger, and Faith-Keeper immediately loses to stiff competition like the Apex Predator by proxy of its terrible archetype; Precision Frame Rocket Launcher. I honestly would not recommend bringing this into either PVP or PVE content, but if you did want to use this admittedly cool-looking rocket launcher, there is one roll that should have you covered (for PVE, not PVP).
PVE God Roll
Masterwork
Barrel
Mag
3rd Column
4th Column
Origin Trait
Velocity
Hard Launch
Impact Casing
Auto-Loading Holster
Lasting Impressions
Radiolaria Tranposer
Ill Omen – Stasis Sword (Craftable)
Swords are quite strong right now. They have proven to be useful in Salvation’s Edge, Crota’s End, and even Root of Nightmares if you are crazy enough. Unfortunately for Ill Omen, Caster Frame swords just are not very good. There is one niche for it, however, and that is as an Overload and Unstoppable Champion stun machine. I wouldn't recommend it over something like the Aurvandil FR6 which can have Reconstruction and Chill Clip, but if you are so inclined to muck around with this sword, there is something for you here. I don’t recommend this at all for PVP so I will only provide a PVE God Roll.
PVE God Roll
Masterwork
Blade
Guard
3rd Column
4th Column
Origin Trait
Impact
Jagged Edge
Swordmaster’s Guard
Relentless Strikes
Cold Steel
Radiolaria Tranposer
Speleologist – Solar Machine Gun (Craftable)
One of the other few weapons that are currently not available, but are viewable in the Destiny API, the Speleoligist has some interesting perks and can potentially fit right in as your heavy add clear machine. I can’t recommend this for PVP as I currently have no idea how it handles, but I can’t imagine it would stack up compared to its competition in the same slot.
PVE God Roll
Masterwork
Barrel
Mag
3rd Column
4th Column
Origin Trait
Range / Stability
Smallbore
Flared Magwell
Enlightened Action / Envious Assassin
Incandescent / Killing Tally
Radiolaria Tranposer
Patron of Lost Causes – Kinetic Scout Rifle
The first of the reprised weapons from Shadowkeep’s Season of Dawn which are not craftable, this Kinetic Lightweight Frame Scout Rifle sees its perk pool revamped to include some more modern perks.
PVE God Roll
Masterwork
Barrel
Mag
3rd Column
4th Column
Origin Trait
Range / Stability
Smallbore
Flared Magwell
Triple Tap / Rapid Hit
Kinetic Tremors
Cast No Shadows
PVP God Roll
Masterwork
Barrel
Mag
3rd Column
4th Column
Origin Trait
Range
Hammer-Forged Rifling
Accurized Rounds
Rapid Hit
Precision Instrument
Cast No Shadows
Breachlight – Strand Sidearm
A fan favourite amongst the community, this reprised Season of Dawn Sidearm shows off its shiny new elemental typing, Strand. While regular Sidearms aren’t the strongest in PVE, there are some options here for you to have some fun. I do not recommend this weapon for PVP, as its perks do not seem to favour the Crucible sandbox, currently.
PVE God Roll
Masterwork
Barrel
Mag
3rd Column
4th Column
Origin Trait
Range
Smallbore
Flared Magwell
Demolitionist / Pugilist / Threat Detector
Adrenaline Junkie / Swashbuckler / Hatchling
Cast No Shadows
Perfect Paradox – Kinetic Shotgun
This slick shotgun sees a return but can only be looked at as an option for melee-oriented PVE builds, as Rapid Fire Frame Shotguns are not very good in the Crucible. There is still a roll here for those that don’t have a crafted Wastelander MK5 from Dares of Eternity. I would only pair Pugilist with Trench Barrel if you wish to use the former over something like Threat Detector/Remover which should be paired with One-Two Punch.
PVE God Roll
Masterwork
Barrel
Mag
3rd Column
4th Column
Origin Trait
Range
Full Choke
Accurized Rounds
Threat Detector / Threat Remover / Pugilist
One-Two Punch / Trench Barrel
Cast No Shadows
Martyr's Retribution – Solar Special Grenade Launcher
The first Solar Wave Frame that players will be able to obtain since Season of the Risen’s Explosive Personality, it seems that PVE players will finally have a PVE-oriented Solar Wave Frame Grenade Launcher. I do not recommend you use this in PVP as it will perform terribly in the current sandbox. This is the last of the few Episode: Echoes weapons that are currently not available.
Linear Fusion Rifles aren’t in the greatest place right now, and even if they were there would be a lot of very stiff competition for Line in the Sand. Regardless, there is hope for this Linear Fusion Rifle, with one perk in particular ensuring that it isn’t wholly left behind.
PVE God Roll
Masterwork
Barrel
Mag
3rd Column
4th Column
Origin Trait
Range
Hammer-Forged Rifling
Ionized Battery / Enhanced Battery
Rapid Hit / Clown Cartridge
Bait and Switch
Cast No Shadows
With that, we have all the weapons that should be a part of Episode: Echoes. Be sure to get those red borders for the Vex-themed weapons so you can enhance their perks!
Bungie has announced it is laying off 220 staff, approximately 17% of its workforce, across all levels of the company including leadership roles. Pete Parsons, CEO of Bungie, has released a long statement for the reasons why 220 will be losing their jobs at the development studio. This includes the economic downturn of recent years, and costs relating to Destiny 2 and Marathon exceeding the financial limits of the company.
Pete Parsons has also confirmed that Bungie will become more integrated i
Bungie has announced it is laying off 220 staff, approximately 17% of its workforce, across all levels of the company including leadership roles. Pete Parsons, CEO of Bungie, has released a long statement for the reasons why 220 will be losing their jobs at the development studio. This includes the economic downturn of recent years, and costs relating to Destiny 2 and Marathon exceeding the financial limits of the company.
Pete Parsons has also confirmed that Bungie will become more integrated into Sony Interactive Entertainment, with 12% of roles being moved over to Sony. In addition, Bungie is spinning off a yet unnamed project into PlayStation Studios with the establishment of a new studio to continue work on the project. The full statement can be read below.
This morning, I’m sharing with all of you some of the most difficult changes we’ve ever had to make as a studio. Due to rising costs of development and industry shifts as well as enduring economic conditions, it has become clear that we need to make substantial changes to our cost structure and focus development efforts entirely on Destiny and Marathon.
That means beginning today, 220 of our roles will be eliminated, representing roughly 17% of our studio’s workforce.
These actions will affect every level of the company, including most of our executive and senior leader roles.
Today is a difficult and painful day, especially for our departing colleagues, all of which have made important and valuable contributions to Bungie. Our goal is to support them with the utmost care and respect. For everyone affected by this job reduction, we will be offering a generous exit package, including severance, bonus and health coverage.
I realize all of this is hard news, especially following the success we have seen with The Final Shape. But as we’ve navigated the broader economic realities over the last year, and after exhausting all other mitigation options, this has become a necessary decision to refocus our studio and our business with more realistic goals and viable financials.
We are committing to two other major changes today that we believe will support our focus, leverage Sony’s strengths, and create new opportunities for Bungie talent.
First, we are deepening our integration with Sony Interactive Entertainment, working to integrate 155 of our roles, roughly 12%, into SIE over the next few quarters. SIE has worked tirelessly with us to identify roles for as many of our people as possible, enabling us together to save a great deal of talent that would otherwise have been affected by the reduction in force.
Second, we are working with PlayStation Studios leadership to spin out one of our incubation projects – an action game set in a brand-new science-fantasy universe – to form a new studio within PlayStation Studios to continue its promising development.
This will be a time of tremendous change for our studio.
Let’s unpack how we ended up in this position; it’s important to understand how we got here.
For over five years, it has been our goal to ship games in three enduring, global franchises. To realize that ambition, we set up several incubation projects, each seeded with senior development leaders from our existing teams. We eventually realized that this model stretched our talent too thin, too quickly. It also forced our studio support structures to scale to a larger level than we could realistically support, given our two primary products in development – Destiny and Marathon.
Additionally, in 2023, our rapid expansion ran headlong into a broad economic slowdown, a sharp downturn in the games industry, our quality miss with Destiny 2: Lightfall, and the need to give both The Final Shape and Marathon the time needed to ensure both projects deliver at the quality our players expect and deserve. We were overly ambitious, our financial safety margins were subsequently exceeded, and we began running in the red.
After this new trajectory became clear, we knew we had to change our course and speed, and we did everything we could to avoid today’s outcome. Even with exhaustive efforts undertaken across our leadership and product teams to resolve our financial challenges, these steps were simply not enough.
As a result, today we must say goodbye to incredible talent, colleagues, and friends.
This will be a challenging time at Bungie, and we’ll need to help our team navigate these changes in the weeks and months ahead. This will be a hard week, and we know that our team will need time to process, to ask questions, and to absorb this news. Today, and over the next several weeks, we will host team meetings and town halls, team breakout sessions, and private, individual sessions to ensure we are keeping our communication open and transparent.
Bungie will continue to make great games. We still have over 850 team members building Destiny and Marathon, and we will continue to build amazing experiences that exceed our players’ expectations.
There will be a time to talk about our goals and projects, but today is not that day. Today, our focus is on supporting our people.
Workers blame Bungie management for layoffs at Destiny 2 studio.
Bungie misrepresented its finances and had significantly overextended itself when Sony acquired the studio for $3.6 billion in 2022, former workers claimed in a new Game File report published in the wake of Wednesday's layoffs.It was apparently bad enough that at least one source described as a …
Workers blame Bungie management for layoffs at Destiny 2 studio.
Bungie misrepresented its finances and had significantly overextended itself when Sony acquired the studio for $3.6 billion in 2022, former workers claimed in a new Game File report published in the wake of Wednesday's layoffs.
It was apparently bad enough that at least one source described as a …
Destiny 2 developer Bungie has disabled rewards generated in private Crucible matches because of "an issue".Whilst the studio stopped short of revealing what, exactly, that issue is, Destiny 2 fans believe it has to do with a glitch that enables players to farm a whole host of items and consumables in private matches, even if they're away from their consoles/PCs.As detailed in a video by Cheese Forever, the "game breaking" farm "will give you everything you ever wanted, and you don't even need
Destiny 2 developer Bungie has disabled rewards generated in private Crucible matches because of "an issue".
Whilst the studio stopped short of revealing what, exactly, that issue is, Destiny 2 fans believe it has to do with a glitch that enables players to farm a whole host of items and consumables in private matches, even if they're away from their consoles/PCs.
As detailed in a video by Cheese Forever, the "game breaking" farm "will give you everything you ever wanted, and you don't even need to move".
Bungie sticks the landing as it finally brings together the threads of its epic first saga.After a storytelling exercise spanning ten years, two enormous games, and one paracasual Starhorse (don't ask), Bungie has finally concluded its first Destiny saga with Destiny 2's The Final Shape expansion. The result is a surprisingly lovely experience that manages to balance the hefty demands of nostalgia, lore, and novelty.There's a lot to get through here, as the first week-and-a-bit since release ha
Bungie sticks the landing as it finally brings together the threads of its epic first saga.
After a storytelling exercise spanning ten years, two enormous games, and one paracasual Starhorse (don't ask), Bungie has finally concluded its first Destiny saga with Destiny 2's The Final Shape expansion. The result is a surprisingly lovely experience that manages to balance the hefty demands of nostalgia, lore, and novelty.
There's a lot to get through here, as the first week-and-a-bit since release has included the main story campaign, a raid, a 12-person conclusion mission, a new subclass (Prismatic), a 2-person secret exotic activity, and the first part of a three-act episode called Echoes (episodes being the replacement for seasons – the packages which keep players going between expansions). Let's start with… story?
Destiny 2: The Final Shape marks the expansion that closes out the narrative that started back in Destiny 1 developed by Bungie. Take a look at the accolades trailer to garner the critical reception for Destiny 2: The Final Shape available now for PlayStation 4 (PS4), PlayStation 5 (PS5), Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.
Destiny 2: The Final Shape marks the expansion that closes out the narrative that started back in Destiny 1 developed by Bungie. Take a look at the accolades trailer to garner the critical reception for Destiny 2: The Final Shape available now for PlayStation 4 (PS4), PlayStation 5 (PS5), Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.
Hra Destiny 2 od společnosti Bungie zažila výjimečný týden s vydáním rozšíření The Final Shape, od nezapomenutelné kampaně až po výjimečný raid. Co však kromě nedávno přidané exotické mise Dual Destiny čeká dál?
Kromě epizody 1: Echoes se 18. června dočkáme i Excision s obtížností Grandmaster.
V nejnovější zprávě „This Week at Destiny“ se o této misi hovoří jako o „velmi těžké“, ale odměna za její splnění „bude stát za to“. Samozřejmě, pokud chcete získat XP, zvýšit úroveň svých vyrobených zbran
Hra Destiny 2 od společnosti Bungie zažila výjimečný týden s vydáním rozšíření The Final Shape, od nezapomenutelné kampaně až po výjimečný raid. Co však kromě nedávno přidané exotické mise Dual Destiny čeká dál?
Kromě epizody 1: Echoes se 18. června dočkáme i Excision s obtížností Grandmaster.
V nejnovější zprávě „This Week at Destiny“ se o této misi hovoří jako o „velmi těžké“, ale odměna za její splnění „bude stát za to“. Samozřejmě, pokud chcete získat XP, zvýšit úroveň svých vyrobených zbraní nebo farmit killy pro postup v Catalystu, nemusíte. Vzhledem k obrovskému počtu hráčů Bungie vypnulo některé možnosti, aby „zajistilo stabilní zážitek“.
Excision je závěrečná mise kampaně, která se odemkne po World’s First race za Salvation’s Edge. Je první, která podporuje 12 hráčů a v níž se Guardiani spojí se svými spojenci, aby jednou provždy zničili The Witness.
With Destiny 2's The Final Shape expansion now here, officially bringing the ten-year Light and Darkness saga to a close, developer Bungie has turned its attention to the future, sharing more on what's next for its live-service shooter - including a tease of the mysterious Codename: Frontiers, whatever it may be, coming next year.
When Bungie revealed The Final Shape last August, it announced 2024 would bring a significant shake-up to the way Destiny 2 content is delivered. Instead of four ye
With Destiny 2's The Final Shape expansion now here, officially bringing the ten-year Light and Darkness saga to a close, developer Bungie has turned its attention to the future, sharing more on what's next for its live-service shooter - including a tease of the mysterious Codename: Frontiers, whatever it may be, coming next year.
When Bungie revealed The Final Shape last August, it announced 2024 would bring a significant shake-up to the way Destiny 2 content is delivered. Instead of four yearly Seasons, it said it would release three "larger, content-packed" Episodes, each featuring standalone stories split into three six-week-long Acts.
The first of these, Echoes, launches tomorrow, 11th June, picking up immediately after the events of The Final Shape. It all unfolds on Nessus, where there are ancient secrets to unearth and a mysterious new enemy to encounter. Echoes will then be followed by Revenant later this year (Bungie's previous roadmap said between July and October), and comes with a vampire-hunting theme as players, in the role of a Slayer Baron, take on the Fallen. There's also a new potion crafting system - featuring combat and loot potions - alongside the new story elements, quests, and rewards set to feature in all three Episodes.
The first Destiny 2 clan to complete The Final Shape's raid has unlocked a final mission for all Guardians to close out the sci-fi shooter's expansive story.It took the Parabellum clan 19 hours to work their way through Salvation’s Edge – and what a triumph it was – but the bigger surprise was that as the cut-scenes played out the end of Destiny's epic decade, a hitherto secret mission became available to all players, regardless of whether or not they'd gotten through the raid themselves.The mi
The first Destiny 2 clan to complete The Final Shape's raid has unlocked a final mission for all Guardians to close out the sci-fi shooter's expansive story.
It took the Parabellum clan 19 hours to work their way through Salvation’s Edge – and what a triumph it was – but the bigger surprise was that as the cut-scenes played out the end of Destiny's epic decade, a hitherto secret mission became available to all players, regardless of whether or not they'd gotten through the raid themselves.
The mission – called Excision – accommodates 12 players in a stunning crescendo that's sure to squeeze even the steeliest Guardian heart.
I've set aside some time this evening for Destiny 2's latest expansion The Final Shape, which launched last night. My pal Liam suggested we play this evening because Bungie's servers would inevitably go up in flames the moment it launched. And what do you know? The right decision was made. Are we smug about it? Yes. Anyway, the good news is that Bungie have put out a few of those fires, though there are still a few bugs to fix.
Read more
I've set aside some time this evening for Destiny 2's latest expansion The Final Shape, which launched last night. My pal Liam suggested we play this evening because Bungie's servers would inevitably go up in flames the moment it launched. And what do you know? The right decision was made. Are we smug about it? Yes. Anyway, the good news is that Bungie have put out a few of those fires, though there are still a few bugs to fix.
The journey continues.
Bungie has teased Destiny 2 Codename Frontiers, coming at some point in 2025 during what will be the series’ 11th year.Teased at the end of a new video detailing what to expect from The Final Shape expansion’s upcoming three episodes was a solitary image, below. It reveals Codename Frontiers, which …
Bungie has teased Destiny 2 Codename Frontiers, coming at some point in 2025 during what will be the series’ 11th year.
Teased at the end of a new video detailing what to expect from The Final Shape expansion’s upcoming three episodes was a solitary image, below. It reveals Codename Frontiers, which …
Category: Next Week on XboxMay 31, 2024 Next Week on Xbox: New Games for June 3 to 7
Mike Nelson, Xbox Wire Editor
Welcome to Next Week on Xbox! This weekly feature highlights all the games arriving soon on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Windows, and Game Pass. Discover more about these forthcoming titles below and explore their profiles for additional
Welcome to Next Week on Xbox! This weekly feature highlights all the games arriving soon on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Windows, and Game Pass. Discover more about these forthcoming titles below and explore their profiles for additional information (note that release dates may be subject to change). Let’s dive in!
The Final Shape looms. A nightmarish calcification of reality into the Witness’s twisted design. Embark on a perilous journey into the heart of the Traveler, rally the Vanguard, and end the War of Light and Darkness. For the first time ever, Prismatic empowers you to combine Arc, Solar, Void, Stasis, and Strand into a custom subclass of your design. Light and Darkness have no quarrel within you, Guardian.
Downward will let you set off on humanity’s final adventure, to seek out an explanation for the apocalypse that changed the Earth as we know it. Taking advantage of parkour techniques and of the mysterious power you are given, you will traverse astonishing and dangerous ruins of past civilizations, all to find the legendary artifacts meant to control the deadly calamities that came to this world.
Killer Klowns from Outer Space: The Game is an asymmetrical multiplayer horror based on the iconic ‘80s film. In the battle between Killer Klowns and citizens of Crescent Cove, team up and use your wits to harvest humans or save them from the alien invasion!
Available on day one with Game Pass! Serve up sushi as a robot chef in Rolling Hills, a life sim about running your own restaurant in a cozy village. Make new friends, purchase ingredients, enhance your shop, and improve the lives of your neighbors as you perfect your craft! Playable on Cloud, Console, and PC.
Take the role of President or Prime Minister in one of ten countries. You will then govern the country as you see fit, while trying to retain enough popularity to get re-elected. Democracy 4: Console Edition is the ultimate sandbox for testing out your political ideas. We all think that we could do a better job ourselves in running a country compared to politicians, but is that really true
You’re a representative of Craft & Co selling automated fabrication tools across the galaxy when your spacecraft crashes into a hostile planet. Now you’ll have to build the strongest defenses if you wish to escape from it. Use the tools you sell and the local resources to build up all of what you’ll need to survive and eventually be able to escape the planet.
What is a recklessly adventurous kid to do when he ends up stuck between life and death? In Ghost Teen Escape from Limbo, you’ll have to exploit your ghost form to solve a multitude of tricky platforming puzzles if there’s any hope of returning to your home amongst the living. Explore 50 single-screen puzzles in black-and-white 2D pixel art style.
Embark on an epic pixelated adventure in Run & Jump Guy, a classic platformer featuring three unique locations: Island, Snowy Forest, and Castle. Face diverse enemies and conquer challenging obstacles as you journey through each level. Prepare for an epic showdown against a formidable boss waiting at the end.
Experience the thrill of adventure and put to the test your climbing and platforming skills in Grappin, the first-person adventure game that takes you to new heights. After a mysterious awakening, you discover the Grip, an artifact that serves as your grappling hook. Your mission is clear: return the Grip to the Grip Shrine, located at the summit of the highest mountain.
Race against players from all over the world in the new Criterium multiplayer mode. Take part in online races with up to 6 players and execute your strategy to win the race. Create a team of 2 riders from over 900 professional cyclists available and choose your rider outfit.
Inspired by classic action movies, The Hong Kong Massacre places you at the center of a hard-boiled revenge story, filled with brutal, cinematic shootouts and vivid underworld locations. Take on the role of a former police detective bent on exacting vengeance for his partner’s murder and use of a mixture of raw firepower, slow-motion and dive/dodge mechanics to tear your way through the criminal ranks.
Footage style first-person game where you’re a journalist who returns to his country in search of answers about the death of his mother. This investigation will lead him to discover his origin in a place far from the world where terror lurks.
The original Rider’s Spirits was first released in 1994 exclusively in Japan. Now this timeless racing classic is finally available worldwide for the first time! Choose from an array of wacky racers, each with their own unique attributes, and show off your riding skills. And if things get ugly, use all kind of crazy items in order to get advantage and be the first one to cross the finishing line!
A hidden object game with musical elements. Each hidden character found unlocks a new musical instrument inside each game’s level. Thus, you’ll be able to create your own songs as you find cute little dogs hidden by beautiful 2D cartoon backgrounds.
Destiny 2 will go offline for 25 hours ahead of the launch of its final expansion, The Final Shape.The downtime – which is scheduled to kick off at 5pm UK time on 3rd June (that's 9am PT, 12pm ET) and end at 7pm on 4th June – is required to prep for the new expansion, which is estimated to take up at least 129GB of free space on every platform, and almost 300GB on Steam.As detailed in the latest This Week in Destiny update, players can pre-download update 8.0.0.2 from 6pm UK time (10am PT, 1pm
Destiny 2 will go offline for 25 hours ahead of the launch of its final expansion, The Final Shape.
The downtime – which is scheduled to kick off at 5pm UK time on 3rd June (that's 9am PT, 12pm ET) and end at 7pm on 4th June – is required to prep for the new expansion, which is estimated to take up at least 129GB of free space on every platform, and almost 300GB on Steam.
As detailed in the latest This Week in Destiny update, players can pre-download update 8.0.0.2 from 6pm UK time (10am PT, 1pm ET) on 1st June on PS3, while PC and Xbox players have to wait until the same time on 3rd June.
UPDATE 31/5/24: Bungie has released a statement after "a portion" of Destiny 2's The Final Shape expansion was "accidentally pushed live" on PS5's streaming service.The studio acknowledged spoilers were being shared online, and that a "small group of players" were able to access the campaign, Collections, Echoes, and "other reward info".Consequently, the team advises players who don't want the experience spoiled to "be very careful" on social media in the lead up to The Final Shape's release ne
UPDATE 31/5/24: Bungie has released a statement after "a portion" of Destiny 2's The Final Shape expansion was "accidentally pushed live" on PS5's streaming service.
The studio acknowledged spoilers were being shared online, and that a "small group of players" were able to access the campaign, Collections, Echoes, and "other reward info".
Consequently, the team advises players who don't want the experience spoiled to "be very careful" on social media in the lead up to The Final Shape's release next week, and asks those who have seen the spoilers to "please be considerate of others".
Here it is, Guardians: our first look – well, hear, technically – at Keith David's Commander Zavala in Destiny 2: The Final Shape.We already knew that Bungie had no plans to remove Zavala from the Destiny 2 story given he was "central" to the upcoming The Final Shape expansion, but this is the first time we've heard Zavala voiced by David. Up until now, Zavala's voice work had been recorded in advance by his original voice actor, Lance Reddick, who sadly died last year.The line is brief, yes –
Here it is, Guardians: our first look – well, hear, technically – at Keith David's Commander Zavala in Destiny 2: The Final Shape.
We already knew that Bungie had no plans to remove Zavala from the Destiny 2 story given he was "central" to the upcoming The Final Shape expansion, but this is the first time we've heard Zavala voiced by David. Up until now, Zavala's voice work had been recorded in advance by his original voice actor, Lance Reddick, who sadly died last year.
The line is brief, yes – "I used to think I'd give anything to bring you back", is all he says – but it's especially powerful given the team had to unexpectedly recast the commander after Reddick, who was a committed and celebrated Destiny player himself, died.
The final hard drive clear.
Those looking forward to Destiny 2: The Final Shape may need to clear out a their hard drives ahead of its June 4, 2024 release date, as Bungie has shared some hefty install sizes.Revealed in its This Week in Destiny blog post, where Bungie also warned …
Those looking forward to Destiny 2: The Final Shape may need to clear out a their hard drives ahead of its June 4, 2024 release date, as Bungie has shared some hefty install sizes.
Revealed in its This Week in Destiny blog post, where Bungie also warned …
Did I ever tell you about the time I was smuggling pears and USB-C cords through the Spanish Main? Was during the great USB-C shortage of 1687, you see. Apple had just released their new electric barnacle scrubber, and sailors everywhere were trading sacks of freshly minted coins just for a solitary sweet sniff at one of the delightfully compact and sleekly designed charger cables. Of course, too-many-toes Jackson and myself had seen tell of this upcoming gold rush, written in crab trails on th
Did I ever tell you about the time I was smuggling pears and USB-C cords through the Spanish Main? Was during the great USB-C shortage of 1687, you see. Apple had just released their new electric barnacle scrubber, and sailors everywhere were trading sacks of freshly minted coins just for a solitary sweet sniff at one of the delightfully compact and sleekly designed charger cables. Of course, too-many-toes Jackson and myself had seen tell of this upcoming gold rush, written in crab trails on the sand, which is what we had instead of the stock market in them days.
Další rozšíření Destiny 2, The Final Shape, uniklo na veřejnost a několik hráčů se k němu dostalo několik dní před vydáním. Jak přesně k tomu došlo, zatím není známo (kromě toho, že problém pochází ze strany Sony), ale uniklo několik detailů.
Nebudeme s vámi sdílet žádné spoilery, ale uniklo několik detailů, od nového raidu, který bude spuštěn 7. června, přes jeho zbraně, brnění, Origin Trait a dokonce i mody. Dokonce i chystaná epizoda 1: Echoes měla svou sadu ornamentů, zbraně, Origin Trait a
Další rozšíření Destiny 2, The Final Shape, uniklo na veřejnost a několik hráčů se k němu dostalo několik dní před vydáním. Jak přesně k tomu došlo, zatím není známo (kromě toho, že problém pochází ze strany Sony), ale uniklo několik detailů.
Nebudeme s vámi sdílet žádné spoilery, ale uniklo několik detailů, od nového raidu, který bude spuštěn 7. června, přes jeho zbraně, brnění, Origin Trait a dokonce i mody. Dokonce i chystaná epizoda 1: Echoes měla svou sadu ornamentů, zbraně, Origin Trait a další jsou venku. Zkrátka a dobře, hráči by si měli před vydáním rozšíření dávat pozor na příspěvky na sociálních sítích.
Destiny 2: The Final Shape vychází 4. června pro Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5 a PC.
Společnost Bungie vydala nový trailer na Destiny 2: The Final Shape, závěr ságy Light a Darkness, který láká na některé epické momenty. Když Witness začne překrucovat realitu a Vanguard se vydá do Pale Heart of the Traveler, aby se mu postavil, čeká každého z nich jedinečná zkouška.
Zavala je asi nejzajímavější, protože Witness ho zdánlivě pokouší vzkříšením jeho ženy. Ostatní členové Avantgardy se nenechají zviklat, což vede k napětí, zda Zavala nebude ztracen. Samozřejmě nechybí ani spousta da
Společnost Bungie vydala nový trailer na Destiny 2: The Final Shape, závěr ságy Light a Darkness, který láká na některé epické momenty. Když Witness začne překrucovat realitu a Vanguard se vydá do Pale Heart of the Traveler, aby se mu postavil, čeká každého z nich jedinečná zkouška.
Zavala je asi nejzajímavější, protože Witness ho zdánlivě pokouší vzkříšením jeho ženy. Ostatní členové Avantgardy se nenechají zviklat, což vede k napětí, zda Zavala nebude ztracen. Samozřejmě nechybí ani spousta dalších upoutávek, jako je vracející se Cayde-6 chycený pod rukou Witness (přičemž se objeví Crow, aby ho zachránil) a Ikora, která utrpí vážné zranění, než se pomstí Nova bombou.
Zda dojde k nějakým ztrátám, se teprve uvidí, takže zůstaňte naladěni. Destiny 2: The Final Shape vychází 4. června pro konzole Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PS4, PS5 a PC. Zůstaňte naladěni na další podrobnosti, zejména proto, že se na internetu objevily nové dojmy z preview akce pořádané společností Bungie.
Bungie’s been slowly peeling back the layers of Destiny 2: The Final Shape, unveiling systemic reworks, a new subclass, nitty gritty server details, and most importantly, a great deal of new loot for players to obtain. However, the newest Exotic weapon to be revealed isn’t entirely new, and might require a bit of a…Read more...
Bungie’s been slowly peeling back the layers of Destiny 2: The Final Shape, unveiling systemic reworks, a new subclass, nitty gritty server details, and most importantly, a great deal of new loot for players to obtain. However, the newest Exotic weapon to be revealed isn’t entirely new, and might require a bit of a…
The Destiny 2 Final Shape DLC is almost here after an extensive wait, and after seeing new gameplay footage, new trailers, and new updates from the development team at Bungie, there’s a cautious optimism on the rise. After a tumultuous year for the game, the conclusion to the Light and Darkness saga has high expectations to meet if it wants to win back fans and give the game a shot at continued longevity. But just what do we know so far that’s got us hyped for June 4?
Here, we’re going to ra
The Destiny 2 Final Shape DLC is almost here after an extensive wait, and after seeing new gameplay footage, new trailers, and new updates from the development team at Bungie, there’s a cautious optimism on the rise. After a tumultuous year for the game, the conclusion to the Light and Darkness saga has high expectations to meet if it wants to win back fans and give the game a shot at continued longevity. But just what do we know so far that’s got us hyped for June 4?
Here, we’re going to rank our 10 most anticipated features and changes coming in the Destiny 2 Final Shape expansion based on everything we know so far. Keep in mind of course that there will be some slight spoilers ahead. But with any luck, you’ll be just as excited as us by the time you’re done reading. If you’re looking for things to do while we wait out the last few weeks, check out our list of 10 things to do before The Final Shape, too.