A new report reveals that Bungie leadership pitched a subscription model for Destiny 2, but staff strongly rejected the idea.
It’s been a wild few weeks for Bungie. The studio has found itself in hot water over a major art theft controversy tied to its upcoming game, Marathon. Accusations are flying that a lot of the game’s visuals were lifted directly from independent artist ANTIREAL, leading to Bungie getting dubbed “Art Raiders” online.
But as this controversy picked up steam, more stories about life at Bungie started to come out. Lately, ex-Bungie employees have started sharing their experiences, describing a toxic work culture where leadership reportedly ignored staff feedback and often dismissed any ideas that didn’t come from the top.
Now, a new report has shed light on some of the decisions that Bungie leadership pitched for its flagship title, Destiny 2.
Destiny 2 Was Almost Turned Into a Subscription Game
Journalist and content creator Destin Legarie of Save State Plus has published a new video titled “Inside Bungie’s Decline: Former Devs Speak Out.” According to Destin, who spoke to several former employees, Bungie’s leadership did in fact consider a subscription model for Destiny 2.
This wasn’t just some offhand suggestion, it was actually brought up in a meeting. But as Legarie reports, the team’s response was anything but quiet. “In one meeting, adding a subscription to Destiny was brought up only to be vehemently shut down by staff,” one former employee told him.
It’s not just the subscription talk that’s left a bad taste. Other employees told Legarie that Bungie’s management has been obsessed with monetization. One example is that some leaders were apparently worried that the Trials of Osiris PvP armor in Destiny 2 looked too good, fearing it might make players less likely to spend money in the Eververse store, which sells cosmetics for real cash.
“Another former employee claimed there was a concern about Trials of Osiris PvP armor being too attractive with its glow effect, Legarie said in the video. “The worry was that it was too good and would impact Eververse sales.”
Staff also recalled being “scolded” about monetization in internal meetings, and described an atmosphere where making money often seemed to take priority over player satisfaction.
All of this is coming to a head as Destiny 2’s next major expansion, Edge of Fate, launches on July 15. With everything going on, fans are starting to wonder if Bungie is losing sight of what made Destiny 2 special in the first place.
What’s your take? Would a Destiny 2 subscription ever make sense? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
