Bungie bosses pitched Destiny 2 subscription before it was ‘vehemently’ shot down by devs, it’s claimed
The report comes amidst a period of controversy for Bungie
Bungie bosses reportedly pitched a subscription model for Destiny 2 before it was “vehemently shot down.”
That’s according to a new video detailing the troubles faced by the Marathon and Destiny studio. Bungie, which is owned by Sony and is currently developing the extraction shooter Marathon, has been in the firing line recently after a prominent controversy.
Earlier this month, Scottish artist Fern ‘4nt1r34l’ Hook accused Bungie of taking assets from her previous work and using it in the alpha for Marathon. Bungie later acknowledged that Hook’s claims were accurate, and claimed that a former staff member was responsible for taking her art.
Following this, the developer began a live stream that was originally planned to feature new gameplay from Marathon, with the news that the company was reviewing all of its artwork following its latest plagiarism controversy.
Now, in a video from Destin Legarie, it’s claimed that, among other alleged issues at the studio, including a “toxic work environment”, it’s claimed that Bungie bosses at one point pitched a subscription-based model for Destiny.
One ex-staffer reportedly told Legarie that “everything happening to Bungie is because of greed,” and that at one point, cosmetic items that could be earned by the player were almost cancelled by management because they worried that the items, which could be acquired for free, would impact microtransaction sales.
Another former employee is claimed to have said that Bungie being folded into PlayStation is “the path forward.”
Marathon is set for release on September 23 on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series and PC. Bungie has confirmed that the game will be a “premium product”, though the studio has yet to confirm the price.
