Does this actually address anything? (Destiny)

by Kermit , Raleigh, NC, Monday, July 07, 2014, 20:01 (3801 days ago) @ kapowaz

I’m afraid that I can’t sit by and let this pass without remark.

You talk about how ‘being a Bungie fan has always demanded a constant and painful state of evolution’, and go on to talk about the transition from Mac to Xbox, but this is unrelated to the complaints people are posting today. Arguably, saying that being a fan demands tolerance of painful evolution could be a rationale for excusing nearly any kind of egregious behaviour. The platform transition to Xbox was undoubtedly contentious, but it was also clearly beneficial for gamers.

In hindsight, yes. No one knew that in 2000. There were a few visionaries at Bungie and Microsoft, but it was much less clear to consumers.

What benefit to gamers (other than those on the preferred platform) do platform exclusives bestow? Clearly there was a beneficiary, but most likely it was Activision.

I can think of a few. Bungie attracts a new fanbase who wasn't interested in their games before. As a result, Destiny is a huge success across both platforms. This enables bigger and better games to be developed in the future. There could be other benefits to Bungie's success. Bungie is an innovator. They basically created the console FPS. Modern matchmaking. Today we complain about no cross-platform play. Maybe Destiny is the groundwork for a new landscape where that is possible. Regardless, a large audience, even if segmented, gives Bungie leverage, and because I trust that Bungie cares primarily about games and gamers, I think they'll act with integrity about the stuff that really matters.

That's what we talk about within our walls - every day. We talk about you. We look to our community for the truth about what we've created.

I hope this is the truth and if so, I hope you’re having a long hard conversation about how you approach this kind of stuff in the future. The games industry has for a number of years now been steadily embracing consumer-hostile practices, with manifestly scaled-back products shipped as a vehicle for paid DLC, in-app purchases and other schemes designed to milk a captive audience for every last penny. It’s hard to believe that Bungie has been ignorant to the conversations and arguments going on about this stuff in the wider gaming community, so it’s equally baffling that you could so misjudge what your loyal fans actually want.

I'm pretty loyal. I want the best, biggest, most ambitious game that can be built in this hyper-competitive triple-A space. I recognize that this requires selling a boatload of games. I recognize that this isn't 2000 or 2004, that these sorts of games take a lot more effort and money to make, that discs leave gamer's trays faster than ever, and games, even big games, can sink or swim in a matter of weeks. Bungie hasn't delivered a game I didn't find fun and worth every penny (even factoring in the costs of consoles), and when they do
that's when I'll believe that they have lost sight of what's important.

If this post is the sum total of your response to today’s reaction then it’ll demonstrate that that is all you think it warrants. Prove me wrong and show that Bungie cares about its customers more than providing shareholder value to Activision.

This sounds like the sort of passive-aggressive threat I really dislike. I guess if they don't respond further it will mean what you says it means, but what if they do respond further and that doesn't meet your criteria? Where does this end? I say play the beta and decide whether it's worth your nickels.

Based on my Alpha experience, I predict the mood around here will be different two weeks from now.