A new rumor has surfaced regarding the shelving of a potential Destiny animated series, purportedly in the works through a collaboration between streaming giant Netflix and renowned game developer Bungie.
In early 2021, Bungie announced its plans to expand its Bellevue headquarters, opening its first international studio in Amsterdam, and expanding the beloved Destiny IP beyond the realm of gaming and into additional media, including television and film.
Related: Destiny Animated and Live Action Adaptations Teased By Bungie in New Player Survey
Although the company has not officially announced any concrete details about specific adaptations for Destiny, it was reportedly working on an animated series based on Destiny with Netflix, which was ultimately canceled.
Destiny Animated Series With Netflix Reportedly Canceled Pre-Sony Acquisition
This is according to Forbes’ Paul Tassi, who posted a new video on their YouTube channel, discussing whether a Destiny TV project might still be in development. According to Tassi, it seems Bungie was once working on a Destiny animated series in partnership with Netflix prior to Sony’s $3.6 billion acquisition of the company in early 2022.
However, it appears that despite progress made in the early stages, the project failed to materialize beyond the scripting phase.
“I heard a long time ago that there was a Destiny Netflix show being tossed around, like an animated one,” said Tassi in the YouTube video. “But, ultimately it just didn’t really come together.”
“I’m not sure how far it got, I think it was in [the] scripting phase or something. This was a long time ago. I think it was before the Sony acquisition, I’m pretty sure.”
The Game Post has reached out to Bungie and Sony for a comment.
In a 2022 earnings call, Hiroki Totoki, interim CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment, said that Sony could help Bungie expand its franchises into films. “It’s not just for the gaming area, but the multi-using of IP and merchandising of IP – like a game title may be put into movies,” said Totoki.
“Bungie want to nurture the IP they have in a multi-dimensional manner, and that’s their hope. For that, we believe we can help that – we have [Sony] Pictures and [Sony] Music, and Bungie can leverage our platform so that their IP can flourish and grow big.”
In May 2023, Bungie appointed Gabriel VanHuss, a former Warner Bros. Discovery executive, as the Head of Linear Media for the Destiny franchise, to expand the IP into new media, including TV, films, books, comics, and more.
Before that, Derick Tsai, former animated shorts director at Riot Games, served as the Head of Destiny Universe Transmedia at Bungie. Tsai departed Bungie in March 2023. Given the information about the canceled Destiny animated project is unconfirmed, it’s advisable to approach it with a grain of salt.
For fans of the Destiny franchise, this news may come as a disappointment, as an animated series could have provided a fresh perspective on the universe they know and love. However, it’s possible that Bungie may still be working on a Destiny adaptation, potentially in collaboration with Sony’s Crunchyroll streaming platform.
Destiny 2 The Final Shape is set to launch on June 4, 2024, on PlayStation, Xbox, and PC.
