Reveal Press Conference

BDAX0UYCUAENEos — Bungie and Activision speak to media gathered at Bungie's headquarters for the Destiny reveal (source: @Bungie on Twitter)

On February 13 and 14, 2013, Bungie invited U.S. (on the 13th) and foreign (on the 14th) gaming press to its Bellevue headquarters to reveal the Destiny universe. To gain entry, members of the media were required to sign a non-disclosure agreement agreeing not to publish anything until the official Reveal Trailer was launched on Sunday, February 17, 2013.

On February 17, numerous articles about Destiny were published on gaming media sites worldwide, and fans found out more information about Destiny than was available from the Reveal Trailer.

Additional Information Not Found in the Reveal Trailer[]

Style and Genre[]

Bungie and Activision describe Destiny as a "shared world shooter," stating that the game really does not fit squarely into other genres such as FPS, RPG, or MMO. "Shared world shooter" means that the game can be played solo or in small groups, and player advancement does not necessarily rely on other players.
Destiny will feature a persistent, dynamic, online world that includes realistic changes of light and weather.
Destiny's story will unfold like a series of books and chapters.
Destiny will have several game modes. Bounty resembles a "raid" in a traditional MMO and successful bounties can result in rewards of weapons, armor, and items. Competitive multiplayer will occur as well, though players will have to voluntarily enter into it.
Music will be by Martin O'Donnell in collaboration with Michael Salvatori and Paul McCartney.
Bungie describes Destiny as resting on seven "pillars" essential to creating a great video game:
- A world players want to be in.
- A bunch of fun things to do.
- Rewards players care about.
- A new experience every night.
- Shared with other people.
- Enjoyable by all skill levels.
- Enjoyable by the impatient and distracted.

Gameplay Mechanics[]

Destiny will require always-online connectivity to play, including in single-player.
Matchmaking will occur on-the-fly and "invisibly." There will be no lobby to wait for games to start; instead, players will encounter other players dynamically in-game.
Players will be able to choose from one of multiple Player Classes. It is unknown at this point how many classes there will be, but three have been unveiled so far: Hunter, Titan, and Warlock.
Players will have some extent of "magical" abilities granted by The Traveler.
Players will have their own spaceships, which will operate as a "mobile home of sorts, carrying your spoils of war." Scoring points in multiplayer or on other missions can enable players to purchase bigger and better ships.
Players can travel to planets and moons throughout our solar system. Whether interplanetary travel will occur via cutscenes and skips is unknown, but Bungie has hinted at actual space gameplay.
Customization of players, armor, weapons, and items will be extensive and central to the game.
Companion apps for mobile platforms (iOS is confirmed, others were not) will be available to provide notifications and communicate with other players. Bungie also teased that companion apps may be able to affect in-game experiences in some way.
Destiny will strive to be playable for players at all skill levels, from casual and new players to experienced hard-core FPS players.

Specific Characters and Locations[]

Overwatch District is a "hub" or "district" within The City.
There is a location on Mars.
Old Chicago is where modern-day Chicago used to be, and is now nothing but a swampland.
Modern-day Europe is now a Dead Zone.
The Cabal are one of the alien races that wants to destroy humanity.
The Tower is the player's fortified home within the walls of The City.
The Reef is the location of several bounties called Queen of the Awoken.
The Dust Palace is a location on Mars. Charlemagne's Vault is a location within the depths of the Dust Palace.
The Cosmodome Breach is a location in Destiny. Specifics are unknown.
The Hellmouth is a location on Earth's Moon in Destiny.
The Fallen are an insect-like alien race.
The Vex are an alien race of time-traveling robots.
Spider Pirates are an alien race.
The FOTC are a Guardian Faction.

Vehicles and Weapons[]

The Pike is a small, one-person land vehicle used by players.
The Spider Tank is a large, four-legged vehicle that appears to be used primarily by Spider Pirates.
Some weapons may be unique—in other words, Bungie has implied that only one of that weapon will exist within the world of Destiny. It is unknown whether these weapons will have unique specifications or merely a unique name.

Pricing and Availability[]

There are no plans at this time to charge a subscription fee for Destiny.
There has been no announcement of plans to launch Destiny on PC, though speculation and hints from Bungie employees have implied that it might happen at some point.