Bungie’s ‘Destiny’ scheduled for September 2014

By Ryan Fleming December 6, 2013

bungies destiny scheduled september 2014 screenshot — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Read our full Destiny review.

One of the most eagerly anticipated next-gen titles (and current gen for that matter), Bungie’s Destiny, has an official release date courtesy of the game’s official blog. Destiny will be released worldwide for PlayStation 3, PS4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One on September 9, 2014. The beta will launch in the summer of 2014 as a timed exclusive for the PS3 and PS4.

Recommended Videos

Destiny marks the first game Bungie has developed since completing work on the Halo series it created, and the first Bungie game to be developed for the PlayStation family as well as the Xbox.

The game takes place in a far future where humanity has been nearly wiped out after an event known as the “Collapse,” following the colonization of the solar system. The survivors live in a single city on Earth under the protection of “the Traveler,” a mysterious and powerful sphere that guards the remaining humans. One part FPS, one part MMORPG, Destiny will allow players to explore the solar system while completing quests alone or with friends.

“Destiny has always represented a new beginning for our team,” the statement reads. “It was born from brave possibilities. We dreamed of a renewed and independent Bungie. We found partners willing to bet big on some crazy new ideas with us.”

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Ryan Fleming is the Gaming and Cinema Editor for Digital Trends. He joined the DT staff in 2009 after spending time covering…

Gaming

Destiny 2 studio Bungie hit by layoffs, internal game delays

A runner runs in Marathon.

Amid a wave of layoffs at Destiny developer and Sony subsidiary Bungie this week, Destiny 2: The Final Shape and Marathon have both reportedly been delayed.
On Monday morning, tweets from developers revealed that Bungie, which was acquired by Sony in January 2022, was suffering layoffs. This was followed up by a report from Bloomberg that went into more detail about the layoffs and their impact on Bungie's future games. Sony and Bungie have not officially commented on the delays yet, although the Bloomberg article mentions that Bungie CEO Pete Parsons will hold a team meeting later today to discuss the layoffs further. This all follows contractor layoffs at Sony studio Naughty Dog earlier this month, which happened as that studio struggles to develop and release a The Last of Us multiplayer game.

Bloomberg suggests that these layoffs, like others at Sony this year, are tied to internal game delays. While Destiny 2: The Final Shape is publicly slated to come out in February 2024, Bungie reportedly told staff that it's now going to come out in June 2024. Meanwhile, we learned that Bungie's revival of Marathon was apparently targeting a 2024 launch -- although no release window was given officially -- but will now come out sometime in 2025. These delays make the PlayStation 5's 2024 game lineup look pretty sparse right now outside of Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, and it suggests that Destiny 2's next season will be one of its longest.
As of now, Sony and Bungie have not publicly commented on the layoffs or delays, but we will update this post when they do say more about it.

Gaming

A black Xbox Series S with a 1TB SSD launches in September

A Carbon Black version of the Xbox Series S - 1 TB.

At the end of the Xbox Games Showcase portion of Microsoft's Xbox Game Showcase and Starfield Direct double feature today, head of Xbox Phil Spencer revealed brand new Xbox hardware. A black version of the Xbox Series S that has 1 TB of SSD storage was revealed.
Xbox Series S Carbon Black 1TB SSD - World Premier Announce Trailer
The Carbon Black design of this system brings the smaller, digital-only console more in line with the color scheme of the Xbox Series X. For the most part, this new console will feature all of the same specs of the white Xbox Series S, with the expectation of storage space. Instead of only having 512 GB of storage, the Carbon Black Xbox Series S console will have a 1 TB SSD like the Xbox Series X. Considering that a lack of storage space is one of the biggest issues with Xbox Series S, this is a very nice alternative to have.
Because it has more storage space, it will be slightly more expensive than the standard Xbox Series S. Instead of $300, the Xbox Series S - 1TB in Carbon Black will retail for $350. That means people interested in picking up an Xbox now have three different pricing tiers and versions of the console to consider. It's already available for preorder from Microsoft, and you'll only have to wait a couple of months to pick it up.

Xbox Series S - 1 TB will be released on September 1 of this year. That means it will be released less than a week before the launch of Starfield, Bethesda Game Studios' highly anticipated Xbox-exclusive sci-fi RPG. Xbox finally seems to have a solid lineup of exclusives coming afterward, too, as Forza Motorsport finally comes out on October 10 and Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2 and Avowed launch next year.

Gaming

What is Marathon? Bungie’s mysterious Destiny 2 follow-up, explained

A runner runs in Marathon.

This week's PlayStation Showcase featured a lot of surprises, from Square Enix's Foamstars to a full Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater remake. The biggest shocker, though, came when Bungie's logo flashed on the screen. The developer has been solely focused on the Destiny series for the last decade, so any new announcement would be significant news. For a moment, the sci-fi trailer looked like a teaser for Destiny 3. The truth would be far more surprising when we saw the game's title: Marathon.

Marathon - Announce Trailer | PS5 & PC Games