Destiny (video game)
A shared-world shooter that pioneered the live-service genre.
Destiny is an online first-person shooter video game developed by Bungie, released worldwide on September 9, 2014, for PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One. It marked Bungie's first new console franchise since the Halo series and the first game in a ten-year agreement between Bungie and Activision. Set in a 'mythological science fiction' world, the game features a multiplayer 'shared-world' environment with role-playing elements, and activities are divided into player versus environment (PvE) and player versus player (PvP) types. Destiny is often cited as a pioneer of the live-service genre and was GamesRadar's 2014 Game of the Year, receiving the BAFTA Award for Best Game at the 2014 British Academy Video Games Awards.
Quick Facts
- Title
- Destiny
- Developer
- BungieAdditional development by Radical Entertainment and High Moon Studios
- Publisher
- Activision (2014–2018) · Bungie (2019–current)
- Director
- Jason Jones
- Producer
- Jonty Barnes
- Designer
- Lars Bakken · Del Chafe III · Liz M.E. Chung · Tyson Green · Ken Malcolm · Sage Merrill · Christopher Opdahl · Alex Pfeiffer · Luke Smith · James Tsai
- Programmer
- Chris Butcher · Ben Wallace · Zach Russell
- Artist
- Christopher Barrett · David Dunn
- Writer
- Clay Carmouche · Seth Dickinson · Jonathan Goff · Robt McLees · Dave Mongan · Joshua Rubin · Lily Yu · Lucy Prebble · Felix Gilman
- Composer
- Michael Salvatori · C Paul Johnson · Martin O'Donnell · Paul McCartney
- Platforms
- PlayStation 3 · PlayStation 4 · Xbox 360 · Xbox One
- Released
- September 9, 2014
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Destiny places players in the role of a Guardian, protector of Earth's last safe city, wielding a power called Light to defend against alien races. Guardians are tasked with reviving a celestial being called the Traveler while journeying to planets to destroy alien threats. The game features three character classes: Hunters (focused on agility), Warlocks (offensive abilities), and Titans (heavy damage and resistance), each with three sub-classes, with a third sub-class added per class in The Taken King expansion. Players can choose among Human, Awoken, or Exo species, which are cosmetic only. Progression involves gaining experience points to level up, then improving Light level through better equipment after reaching the level cap.
Reader's Guide
Destiny's significance lies in its role as a pioneer of the live-service game model, with ongoing content updates and expansions that shaped the industry. Upon release, it sold over US$325 million at retail in its first five days, making it the biggest new franchise launch of all time. The game received generally positive reviews, praised for gameplay, graphics, and its Halo lineage, but criticized for its storyline, post-campaign content, and emphasis on grinding. Bungie released four expansion packs: The Dark Below (December 2014), House of Wolves (May 2015), The Taken King (September 2015), and Rise of Iron (September 2016). The Taken King marked a major shift in core gameplay. Destiny is frequently cited as one of the greatest video games ever made. A sequel, Destiny 2, released in September 2017 and continued active development until June 2026, ending the mainline series. A mobile game, Destiny: Rising, set in an alternate timeline, was released in August 2025.
Did You Know?
- A social space on Mercury required players to go undefeated in the Trials of Osiris Crucible mode to access it.
- The Taken King expansion added a third sub-class for each character class, requiring purchase of the DLC.
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