Load the Game

Bungie explains the lack of day-one Destiny reviews

• Egon Kilin
• September 9th, 2014

When online reviews or otherwise for a specific title aren’t “up-and-running” on its launch date, it’s usually a bad sign. Most of the time, the title’s publisher fears that journalists will tear it apart because of its potential low-quality, and in return, said game will “drop the ball” when it comes to sales. Of course, there are also exceptions, and according to developer Bungie, its just-released sci-fi FPS Destiny is one such special case.

“From the beginning, we set out to make Destiny feel like more than bits on a drive. We wanted to build a place for players to visit – a place filled with luminous life. Without a vibrant population for the last safe city on Earth, and Guardians roaming the wild frontiers, Destiny is a shadow of what it should be. That’s not how we wanted to submit for review,” wrote Bungie’s Community Manager, David Dague. “We explored several options to populate the world for reviewers. Our team estimates it would take thousands of gamers to ensure each potential public space in Destiny would be populated – that every activity would be accessible at all hours of the day and night. Where on Earth would we be able to find thousands of gamers?”

Moreover, Bungie isn’t the impatient sort, stating that it’s okay with customers wanting to wait for said written articles before deciding to purchase the game or not. “For us, this is a first – a new experience. It’s a bit of a risk, too. We fully anticipate seeing day one reviews from folks who decide to kick the tires, but don’t have the time or patience to take our ride for a nice, long road trip,” Dague explained. “Some of you might wait to pick up a copy until you read the final verdict from your most trusted review house. We’re okay with that. We’ve created something we’re proud of.”

Destiny has just launched on the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360. A PC version has been rumoured for a while now, but nothing official has come out of said whispers.