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Destiny 3 may yet happen, but Destiny’s unannounced “Payback” spin-off won’t, according to reportsSenior Destiny 2 devs behind mystery project leave as part of massive reductions
Senior Destiny 2 devs behind mystery project leave as part of massive reductions
Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Bungie
Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Bungie
Bungie have reportedly cancelled Payback, an unannounced project in the Destiny universe from formerDestiny 2game director Luke Smith and project lead Mark Noseworthy. Both Noseworthy and Smith appear to have lost their jobs in the course of Bungie’sbrutal cost-cuttingthis week, but Payback’s cancellation pre-dates the layoffs. Envisaged as a Destiny spin-off, rather than Destiny 3, it was apparently dropped “a while ago”.
Payback’s cancellation seems to have paved the way for Smith and Noseworthy’s departures. Gamespot sources claim that executive restructuring during this week’s layoffs means the pair have “no path forward at Bungie”.
Aside from laying off staff, Bungie have also transferred 155 roles to parent company Sony Interactive Entertainment. Some of those roles will form a new PlayStation studio working on an untitled “action game set in a brand-new science-fantasy universe”. Those remaining at Bungie will double down on development of theMarathonreboot and future Destiny projects.
$2,414,550 is a tiny dent in the outgoings of a video game developer that even now has around 850 people on the books, but still - I wonder how many narrative designers you can hire for $2,414,550? Payback is certainly the word: laid-off BungiedevelopersandDestiny playerscontinue to call on Parsons to do the decent thing and resign his position.
