Read Bungie’s full weekly update here.
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This week at Bungie, we got back to work.
And so it was that 2013 gasped its last breath like a Cabal Centurion in the desperate throes of a Nova Bomb overdose. While that went down, we were dark. Our studio was silent. Of all the indulgences that spice the holiday season, our favorite was a heaping helping of our most valuable resource: Time.
To close out an action-packed year of developments and revelations, we took some precious time to recharge our batteries. Our understanding of the rigors that await us in the year ahead might have factored into the scheduling decision. Like the Guardians who stride the Tower in preparation for a vital mission, we took time to repair, refuel, and rearm.
Each of us scattered to our own corners, far and wide. Some of us hunkered down on sandy beaches. Others visited frozen settlements buried under snowfall. A few of us never strayed more than a block or two from our safe city. No matter where our journeys took us, we all arrived at that magical moment in which we managed to lose complete and total track of the time we so richly spent.
With a new metaphorical calendar bolted to the theoretical wall, we’re casting our gaze over the horizon, where we hope a bright future awaits. In exactly nine months, we’ll unleash our sweet little bundle of joy on the world. We’re like expecting parents, with big dreams, cautious fears, and a head full of strange names.
Breaktime is over. Bungie is back in full swing. The delicious noise and energy that fuels the development floor has returned. And it’s great to be back.
On Monday morning, we relearned the valuable skill of waking up to an alarm. In returning to our home away from home, we relearned the location of our desks. The entire development floor underwent a tectonic shift in our absence. Sandbox Designers were flung across the room, becoming an island unto themselves. Their migration displaced Localization translators who found refuge with their friends on the Bungie.net team. As if guided by inexplicable forces that control the flow of energy in the universe, Project Director Jason Jones ended up back to back with Executive Producer Patrick O’Kelley. In the midst of chaos, Chief Everything Officer Pete Parsons managed to stand his ground.
Under this new arrangement, there is profound work to be done. We have a game to finish, and after years of plotting and scheming, we can finally say that we’ll destroy that milestone this year. There is a Beta to launch. We’re planning an aggressive calendar of events that begs our attendance. Time to renew that passport, they tell me.
There will also be play. At Bungie, that’s a crucial part of making games. Our one big team has been segmented into four less big teams in anticipation of our Winter Pentathlon. Internal hostilities will resume with a vengeance. The Cup (that is actually a Fist) trembles and shakes in anticipation. Captains have been commissioned. Events have been chosen. An upcoming action shooter (you might have heard of it) is rumored to weigh very prominently in the schedule of events that will help us crown the champions in our midst.
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Click here to read more details about the Destiny beta.