Ep 33: Datto, Aztecross, Byf and Skill Up discuss the future of Bungie and Destiny
Nov 4, 2023
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Datto, MyNameIsByf, and Aztecross, Destiny content creators, discuss the future of Bungie and Destiny, including recent layoffs, delay of the Final Shape expansion, and the current state of the game. They also talk about community-created content, trust within Bungie, and the importance of taking responsibility. The podcast includes an interview with Sam Lake and Kyle Rowley, co-directors of Alan Wake II, where they discuss gameplay mechanics and the narrative of the game. Additionally, they discuss their sponsored nutrition supplement AG1 and their positive experiences playing Alan Wake on an OLED TV.
Concerns arise in the Destiny community regarding the layoffs at Bungie and the future of the game.
Destiny faces challenges from player fatigue, lack of innovation, and monetization, diminishing trust and negative perception.
To improve Destiny's trajectory, Bungie needs to reduce expansion costs, create engaging content, rebuild trust, and focus on exceptional experiences.
Co-directors Sam Lake and Kyle Rowley collaborate on Alan Wake 2, bringing their respective strengths to the game's development.
Remedy Entertainment infuses its games, including Alan Wake 2, with a unique Nordic touch, reflecting their cultural heritage.
Deep dives
Reactions to the Layoffs
Upon hearing about the layoffs at Bungie, there was initial surprise followed by disappointment and skepticism among the Destiny community. Many expressed concern about the future of the game and questioned the decisions made by the executive team.
Challenges and Fatigue in Destiny
Destiny is facing challenges due to fatigue among players and increased competition from other games. The community has expressed frustration with the lack of innovation, diminishing loot, and increasing monetization within the game. Trust in Bungie has also been eroded, making it difficult to attract new players and changing the negative perception of the game externally.
Future Outlook and Potential Solutions
To improve the future trajectory of Destiny, Bungie needs to address the barriers to entry by reducing the cost of expansions and creating more engaging and accessible content. Additionally, they need to rebuild trust through better communication and leadership decisions, such as executives taking pay cuts to avoid layoffs. Bungie also needs to focus on delivering exceptional experiences, introducing new gameplay modes and expanding activities to keep players interested and invested.
Co-directing Alan Wake 2
The co-directors, Sam Lake and Kyle Rowley, share responsibilities and work together on various aspects of the game, with a focus on their respective strengths.
The Journey to Alan Wake 2
The idea for Alan Wake 2 has been in the works for over 13 years, but various factors, including market trends and finding the right partner, delayed its development.
The Influence of Finnish Culture
Remedy Entertainment, being a Finnish studio, imbues its games with a unique Nordic touch, reflecting their cultural heritage and adding depth and authenticity to their storytelling.
Spider-Man 2: A Visual Delight with Exciting Gameplay
Spider-Man 2 offers a visually stunning experience with its representation of Venom and intense boss battles. The integration of Miles Morales into the story adds depth and excitement. The game does not hit emotionally like its predecessor, but it makes up for it with thrilling set pieces and references to Spider-Man's animated series and comic books. Combat feels similar to the previous game with slightly more challenging boss fights and easily manageable regular enemy encounters. The Sandman intro sets the stage for an action-packed adventure, and the city's evolving landscape based on in-game events adds an extra layer of immersion.
Persona 5 Royal Released in Japan
This week, Persona 5 Royal was released in Japan. The remastered version of the popular Persona 5 game features new content and improvements, including a new character, extended storyline, and gameplay mechanics.
Tony Hawk's Project 8 Celebrates Anniversary
17 years ago, Tony Hawk's Project 8 was released. The game introduced new gameplay mechanics, such as a slow-motion mode and board-flipping controls, making it a standout entry in the Tony Hawk's Pro Skater series. Despite being relatively forgotten, Project 8 offered a solid skateboarding experience for fans.
FPS Exclusive! get a FREE 1-year supply of Vitamin D3K2 AND 5 free AG1 Travel Packs with your first AG1 purchase ➼ https://drinkAG1.com/FRIENDS Thanks to AG1 for sponsoring FPS. -- Thanks to our friends Raycon for sponsoring this episode! Head to https://buyraycon.com/friends to get 20 to 50% off sitewide! -- Welcome to a special episode of the FPS Podcast. This week it's a pretty huge guest line-up. First up is a who's who of Destiny content creation: Datto, MyNameIsByf and Aztecross join the show to discuss the recent layoffs at Bungie, the delay of the Final Shape expansion and Marathon, as well as the current state of Destiny and the way its talked about both by players and the gaming community at large.
Following that, we're honored to be joined by none other than Sam Lake and Kyle Rowley, the co-directors of Alan Wake II. The FPS crew went absolutely nuts for Alan Wake II, and to be able to speak to the people who led its creation was a rare treat.
Timestamps: 00:00 Intro 18:19 Destiny 2 Discussion With Datto, MyNameIsByf, and Aztecross! 01:19:38 AG1 (Ad) 01:22:01 Alan Wake 2 Discussion 01:34:02 Alan Wake 2 Discussion with Sam Lake and Kyle Rowley! 02:23:50 Raycon (Ad) 02:26:10 What We've Been Playing 03:12:38 This Week In The Way Back 03:23:35 Wrap Up -- Let's meet our hosts:
- Jake Baldino (aka the Before You Buy Guy) is pretty much the most watched reviewer on YouTube across both Gameranx and his personal channel (https://www.youtube.com/c/JakeBaldino). If you're obsessed with Delorians, The Mummy and Pizza you can discuss that stuff with him directly over on Twitter: @JakeBaldino
- Lucy James is a Senior Producer at Gamespot and a Creative Producer at Giant Bomb. She's actually, like, experienced and credentialed and has real life skills and stuff, while the rest of the gang would be funemployed if the YT algorithm didn't kiss them for random, inexplicable reasons.
- Jirard (aka The Completionist: https://www.youtube.com/c/ThatOneVide...) has been doing YouTube since before Noah wore short pants. Over the course of more than a decade, Jirard has completed HUNDREDS of games to bring you the quality of review that almost no other reviewer dare bring you, getting the 100% completion trophy for every title before putting pen to paper. Jirard has a let's play channel and in his spare time he fires off the occasional hot-take over on Twitter: @TheCompletionist
- Skill Up used to work at McDonalds but he got fired for skimming too many chicken nuggets. He says he regrets it since he hasn't had a better job since. -- Listen to the Friends Per Second Podcast on your favourite podcast platform: https://linktr.ee/friendspersecond
Follow on Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheFPSPodcast
Follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/friendspers...
Follow on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@friendspersecond --
