“Destiny 2” developer Bungie is inviting members of the community to its Bellevue, Wash., studio this week for a summit to discuss the game’s future.
The meeting comes at a time when the developer continues to struggle with player dissatisfaction. “Destiny 2” has been plagued by controversies since its launch last September. The biggest one involved the game’s Eververse storefront, where people could spend real-life money on loot boxes containing cosmetic items. Players claimed Bungie was hiding content behind a paywall, and the studio was forced to tweak the system after they flooded it with complaints.
Then, there were reports that Bungie was deliberately hindering player progression by lowering the amount of experience they earned based on how quickly they earned it. Fans were also critical of timed events like the Dawning and Faction Rally, and of the game’s new shader system. Bungie sometimes took months to address players’ issues, which only made the community’s anger worse.
The developer said this week’s summit is a new step toward being more collaborative and transparent with its fans, and “a little less worried about keeping secrets.” It takes place on Thursday and Friday, according to an invitation posted on the Destiny subreddit. Bungie said in a recent update that it’s gathering players and streamers together to allow them to be more involved in the creative process. Plus, guests will get to test upcoming content. “We’ll be previewing some of the things we’re working on to gather feedback before they’re locked,” it said.
Bungie stressed that the guest list isn’t a measure of who is important or relevant in the community. It’s simply impossible to invite everyone.
“For this gathering, we tried to select a good cross-section to represent all kinds of Guardians,” it continued. “Some of them are familiar faces. Others are new voices that we want to know better. Some of them are leaders with large constituencies. Others are solo players we have come to know with strong opinions. We’ve targeted the hardcore elite who have mastered every challenge and the average players with a deep love for the game. We’ve invited cooperative raiders, competitive warriors, lore lovers, and a high-school principal to make sure they all get along.”
“This is not the first time we’ve welcomed players to see where we work and meet the people who make our games. It won’t be the last,” it added.
