Bungie Caves - Will Now Make Games for Gamers Again

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Bungie Caves - Will Now Make Games for Gamers Again

In A Shocking Announcement Bungie Commits to Making Games for Gamers

Well - Bungie has finally announced the return of Destiny along with a curious continued focus on Marathon - their failed survival game launched earlier this year. This PR video they released has some people celebrating the "Return of Bungie" while others claim the studio is just finally listening to its customer base.

I'm not so sure about either of these takes.


Nostalgic Platitudes & Light on Detail

This video trades specifics for nostalgic platitudes, ignoring the people, processes, and product failures that nearly bankrupted Bungie. 

Alternatively, naming those very issues which led the company down this failed path would have gone a long way and shown genuine sincerity in their message. Instead, both of the Bungie leaders here are simply fence-sitting - too afraid of offending anyone, which leaves viewers projecting their own desired changes onto vague promises.

By refusing to own their mistakes, they've already failed to recommit to the customer. This pre-recorded and edited PR video will end up being the absolute easiest part of Bungie's redemption arc.

What About Leadership Changes?

Starting right now comes the hard part - actually following through with these promises.

What happened to Bungie over the years did not occur on accident. This was all led by internal leadership either too weak to lead or intentionally distracted from game-making. Their collective individual decisions allowed the company to spend millions of dollars on a failed game, and also pull them away from their popular series - Destiny. 

But if that wasn't enough - even more devastatingly - they strayed from what should have always been their their core mission: make great games for gamers. 

So I ask this: How will Bungie address their past leadership failures and decision making?

"how we bring this new Bungie to life... has to be through the spirit of players above everything else." Josh Deane, Head of Product Bungie 

 

What About Process Changes?

When one looks back on the previous 12 months at Bungie, the news is littered with complete disaster.

From Toxic positivity around the launch of Marathon, to the Stolen Assets which made up the core design of Marathon's aesthetic, to the literally asinine decision to Sunset Destiny 2 in favor of Marathon -- a game with a lower player base.

Looking back at all of this back on it all it seems like corporate lunacy, but what I want to know is which internal processes allowed these decisions to occur in the first place?

So I ask this: What are the directives being used now, to ensure that all processes always and without exception ladder up to this new "customer-first" mentality?

 

"...as we get back to where we need to be, making games that you want to play..." Josh Deane, Head of Product Bungie

 

What About Product Changes?

Finally lets talk product.

When you do an honest comparison of Bungies games Marathon vs. Destiny 2 you quickly run into some very serious differences. Here is a visual to illustrate things clearly for you:

Both the core gameplay mechanics & player bases of Marathon & Destiny 2 are mis-matched


As you can see from this graphic, the two games are quite different at their core, and Bungie expecting the audience of Destiny 2 (action shooter) to embrace Marathon (an extraction shooter) was wishful thinking at best but core product design failure at worst.

In Summary
  • Destiny 2 = looter shooter, action MMO hybrid
  • Marathon = extraction shooter

 

This divergence is a major game design problem because many people who enjoy the power fantasy and challenge of an action shooter simply dislike the stress and permanency of extraction shooters.

The players of these two camps at their core, are motivated in entirely different ways and have few overlapping reward systems. The result of this mismatch was almost immediately seen at launch. Marathon underperformed from the start and has never recovered.

So I ask this: How will product design at Bungie now evolve to guarantee a proven audience match before the next game, expansion, or DLC gets the green light?
"we have to find a way back to making games that we want to play, but with you at the center" Josh Deane, Head of Product Bungie 


The Bungie's Redemption Arc Started 5 hours Ago

So there you have it. A PR video, and a bunch of undefined platitudes. This isn't a great start in my opinion. I'm quite doubtful from this video alone that much has changed inside Bungie to warrant excitement.

The fear of losing your job is a horrible long-term motivator for team success and I suspect many people at Bungie are actively looking for new jobs as we speak - they probably see the writing on the walls.

Time will tell, and soon.

Full Bungie Release

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