Phil Spencer, Microsoft's head of games and Xbox, revealed during a panel discussion at PAX West 2024 that Bungie's groundbreaking online shooter "Destiny" could have been an Xbox console exclusive. Speaking at PennyArcade's "Storytime with Phil Spencer" conference, Spencer said that when Bungie first discussed a follow-up to Destiny after parting ways with Microsoft, there was an opportunity for Xbox to sign on as the game's publisher. However, the company ultimately abandoned the proposal.
"When we were pitched about Destiny, we wanted to sign the game, but ultimately we didn't sign Destiny," Spencer said. "That decision allowed Bungie to look elsewhere for a publishing partner, leading to a major deal with Activision to bring Destiny to PlayStation and other platforms."
"Obviously, having worked with Activision on Destiny and seeing it evolve from a business perspective on Xbox, it's been a really interesting journey as far as what they're building."
Spencer didn't specify why Microsoft refused to support Destiny, but the game went on to become a huge hit, spawning numerous expansions and sequels. It established Bungie's new vision outside of the Halo universe and helped define a new genre of online shooters.
Another source said that Bungie laid off an unknown number of employees last year. This includes delaying the release of future projects. Following this layoff, Bungie has delayed Destiny 2's expansion Shadowkeep to June 2, 2024.
In addition, it is reported that the next big game, the reboot of the old sci-fi shooter "Marathon" series, has also been postponed. While the game doesn't yet have a release date, it's said to have been delayed to sometime in 2025.