It appears that Bungie is currently developing a new Destiny game, codenamed “Payback”.
Update, April 10, 6:14 am PT: The Reddit user has shared some more details on the Payback codename for the rumored Destiny 3.
“Codename Payback does not mean we lose in the Final Shape, or after the 3 episodes,” the post reads. “The internal codename of D3 is not a reference to any story events. Rather, Codename Payback refers to Bungie getting payback against themselves by creating something they hope everyone will love. I do not know if there are any plans for Destiny 2 items to carry over into Destiny 3.”
Original story: A recent Reddit comment has started speculation among Destiny fans, hinting at the potential development of Destiny 3 under the codename “Payback.” Although rumors can be dubious, this particular one holds weight as part of what was revealed is now officially confirmed in today’s The Final Shape gameplay preview livestream.
Related: Bungie’s Marathon Could Feature Third-Person Combat, Similar to Destiny 2’s Dynamic Gameplay
On February 28, 2024, a Reddit user named “32638272187” posted a comment on the Destiny2Leaks subreddit about a new “system” coming with The Final Shape expansion called Prism that “will allow players to mix and match abilities from different subclasses.” Fast-forwarding to this week, Bungie has officially confirmed that a new subclass called Prismatic will be introduced in The Final Shape expansion.
“Anyone here know if Prism has been leaked yet? Since there’s been no answer yet I guess I’ll leak it: Bungie is working on a system called Prism that will allow players to mix and match abilities from different subclasses,” the Reddit reply reads. “This is one of the things being worked on during the delay. Imagine throwing a Lightning Grenade while on Solar, or procing Devour and rampaging with Stormcaller.”
Is Bungie working on Destiny 3?
Destiny 3 codenamed Payback is reportedly in development at Bungie, as revealed by the Reddit user in the same comment. The leak suggests that Destiny 3 could mark a seismic shift in the franchise’s mechanics, moving away from the class-based system to allowing players “to spec into any ability.” Below is the full comment regarding the rumored Destiny 3.
“Destiny 3 is (was? idk) in development under code name payback,” the comment reads. “One of the big changes for Destiny 3 is (was, again idk) for classes to no longer exist and allow any character to spec into any ability since lore-wise, there is no reason you couldn’t (Hunters explicitly learned to blink from Warlocks and blink isn’t tied to a single element, hence the logic there).”
Although the idea of such a drastic change in the franchise is intriguing and may excite many Destiny fans, it is crucial to approach these rumors with a healthy dose of skepticism and a grain of salt.
Related: Destiny 2 Into The Light Roadmap: Everything Coming with the Free Update
The Reddit user claims that they received this information from former Bungie employees. “No this isn’t a speculation, I have actually talked to a couple of former Bungie employees who told me about these. The reason I’m saying maybe is because they are former employees and therefore don’t have the most up-to-date information anymore,” the user replied to a comment under the same thread.
Destiny 2’s Executive Creative Director, Luke Smith has teased the future of Destiny 2 and the franchise in The Final Shape’s preview livestream, saying that Bungie will reveal more details on what’s to come in the world of Destiny 2 after players face The Witness in the upcoming expansion.
Destiny 2 The Final Shape is set to launch on June 4, 2024, on PlayStation, Xbox, and PC.
