[vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”13205″ img_size=”800×450″ alignment=”center”][vc_column_text]Bungie has officially announced that it is parting ways with Activision after what has been a troublesome eight-year relationship and will walk away with “full publishing rights and responsibilities for the Destiny franchise”.
Bungie and Activision began their partnership all the way back in April of 2010 with the announcement of a 10-year publishing deal. That has lead to the release of both Destiny in 2014 and its eventual sequel Destiny 2 in 2017. The deal was to see Bungie keep full ownership of the IP whilst Activision were to be given full publishing rights, however, in a statement released yesterday Activision has confirmed that “we’re announcing plans for Bungie to assume full publishing rights and responsibilities for the Destiny franchise. Going forward, Bungie will own and develop the franchise, and Activision will increase its focus on owned IP and other projects.”
When speaking on the matter in their own statement, Bungie stated “We have enjoyed a successful eight-year run and would like to thank Activision for their partnership on Destiny. Looking ahead, we’re excited to announce plans for Activision to transfer publishing rights for Destiny to Bungie.” The studio also stated that plans for the transition process are already underway and that both parties are aiming to make the transition “as seamless as possible”.
Blizzard has also come forward on the matter reassuring fans that Destiny 2 will still be fully supported on BattleNet and that they “Do not anticipate any disruption to our services or your gameplay experience”.
Whilst the news is a surprise for most of us due to the supposed 10-year deal it is hardly shocking considering Activision more than questionable past when it comes to Destiny’s publication plus the manner in which they’ve handled other titles and the fact that their relationship with Bungie has been publicly problematic for a while now.
As for the reaction of the Destiny fanbase, it has been extremely positive with many Criticising Activision for the release schedule that they put on Bingie resulting in incidents such as Destiny 2’s sub-par launch and the first 2 DLC’s of the game being lackluster. Now Bungie is free to focus on whatever they wish too which will most likely be Destiny 3 for the PS5 and the next generation of Xbox. Fan’s can also expect fewer console exclusives in Destiny 2’s future and even Destiny 3 as Bungie have openly never liked them and they were pushed for by Activision.
Overall this is a fantastic move not only for the Destiny franchise and the fans but also for Bungie as a developer. Let us know your thoughts on this news and we’ll keep you updated with any new announcements.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
