During their FY2021 3Q earnings call, Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) announced their $3.6 billion acquisition of Bungie, Inc., lauding the history of collaboration between the two entities. While Sony is leaning on Bungie’s expertise to expand their reach into the gaming space, Sony intends to leverage its multimedia platforms to Bungie.
In other words, there has never been a better time to dream about Bungie stories yet to be told or, better yet, told in creative, new ways! Within the Destiny franchise alone there exists several years of developing stories that have not been fully realized within the games themselves. And, that’s only one intellectual property that the Bellevue-based studio has to draw from.
In light of the imminent release of Destiny 2’s fourth expansion, The Witch Queen, we thought it would be a fun exercise to let our imaginations loose as we consider what stories could be told through different forms of media.
Legends of The Last Word:
One of my favorite stories woven throughout Destiny and Destiny 2 is lore surrounding the Exotic Hand Cannons, Thorn and The Last Word. The story plays out like an old western, peppers in just enough Sci-fi to keep it grounded in Destiny’s universe. I can picture these stories told in a medium similar animation style to the Arcane series.
Picture Palamon, a backwater settlement with no law except the man who declared himself magister: Loken. His rule kept the people in line, but safe. That is, until a stranger came to town - a man slow to speak, but quick to action. A man named Jaren Ward.
With nine guns trained on Ward, Loken meant to make an example of him, to remind the people in Palamon who laid down the law. What Palamon got that day was a new lesson in justice. Jaron Ward, quicker than lightning, introduced Loken to the legendary Last Word… and those words would be his, not Ward’s.
The tales that unfold within this series would follow the fates of three men, bound by their conviction in the true purpose of power. Alongside Jaren Ward, we would meet Rezyl Azzir, a once-celebrated champion driven by greatness, but haunted by dark, ancient whispers. And in between these stories, a young Shin Malphur wrestles with the balance of vengeance and justice in the smoldering ashes of his home town. Would he become a hero worthy of the legacy of the Last Word or a monstrous thorn to humanity?
The Drifter’s (Other) Gambit:
Whatever name you call him, be it Eli, Wu Ming, or simply “pal,” The Drifter plays a long con, but his con always has room for just one more ace. Enter Cayde-6, the wise-cracking, but (begrudging) Hunter Vanguard with a healthy appetite for mischief and loot. While The Drifter denies ever knowing Cayde-6, Cayde’s final recordings tell another story.
Imagine with me for a moment a late night in the Last City. A steaming bowl of spicy ramen slides onto the counter in front of a boisterous, but jovial Exo. He is spinning up a story that seems too outlandish to be true: a legendary score, a last minute change of plans, a double cross, a double, double cross, and loot lost for the ages. While the crowd responds with incredulous groans at the story’s end, the man at the other end of the counter chimes in with a wry grin “... and we mighta got paid that day, but someone just couldn’t stick to the plan. Always had a soft spot for the pretty ones, eh brother?”
This story could play out as frienemies-turned-buddy cop heist drama - both having to uphold a certain measure of plausible deniability, while trying to execute their plan to recover and smuggle a cache of Golden Age weapons into the City. In the middle of it all, Cayde inadvertently becomes the Hunter Vanguard and members of the Drifter’s old crew start sniffing around for his whereabouts. Since they both value the score, they have to discover just how little trust they can operate on to secure such a sizely prize.
Agents of Ikora:
For a secretive agency, The Hidden are pretty infamous - at least, in whispers. Serving as a deep cover espionage organization, these agents have been hand selected by the Warlock Vanguard, Ikora Rey. Their purpose? To identify and gather information on any paracausal or alien threats to the Last City. While we don’t have an exhaustive list of known members of the Hidden, legendary names like Eris Morn and Aunor Mahal often pop up in conversations about this shadowy conclave.
This is where a new story could be told. Think about the world of espionage opening up (a la Kingsmen or Men In Black) to a brand new Guardian after she has a strange encounter with Osiris late one night. The words of this otherwise eloquent sage seem forced and foreign, like they are clawing their way out of his lungs. There is sickly ichor staining his regal garb; he reeks of death… something very, very wrong is going on.
This moment haunts the young Warlock. Her Light-driven hunger for knowledge leads her to investigate, which brings her into contact with another newly risen Guardian: Crow. His connection with Osiris draws her curiosity and scrutiny, but his meek, innocent demeanor stands in sharp contrast to the man that she discovers he was. How can this former Prince of the Reef and murderer of Cayde-6 walk freely in the streets of the City? Why is the once proud Osiris Ghostless and decaying? Are both here by coincidence? How are they all connected?
Her investigation puts her on the radar of both The Hidden and the Queensguard, all while unraveling the tangled webs of Savathûn’s trickery. The story could also bring it’s main character into contact with some of the aforementioned members of The Hidden as well as counterparts like Petra Venj and Mara Sov.
The Brothers Light:
The Exo Guardian Saint-14 and Eliksni Kell Mithrax could not be more different. However, they share two common traits: both have dedicated their lives to the service of The Traveler and both are considered monsters to the other’s people. Their paths became intertwined when the Last City was plunged into the darkness of a Vex simulation.
As the true culprits are unveiled and the City is freed from despair, Mithrax and Saint-14 discover that the only thing that is alien between them is where they came from. A new bond of friendship is formed as the two adventure through space and timelines, searching for Saint’s lost partner… minting their newfound brotherly love in the glory of the Light.
These are few likely candidates for exploration, but I have few other ideas that… well, they’re ideas:
Raiders of the Lost Archives: Crypto-archeologist and Golden Age historian Rahool stars in an Indiana Jones-style tale of heartbreaking decryption, puzzles to bear, and the life-long search for the legendary lost archives. Why? Because we may never be quite as safe as we used to… and, sometimes, an engram is the key.
Dodgeball - The Legend of Lord Shaxx: Told in the style of Ted Lasso with a mix of Disney’s Recess, the eternally idealistic Lord Shaxx catches a tight-knit group of children in the Last City creating mischief wherever they go. Since he can’t throw them into the Crucible to work out their issues, Shaxx channels their energy into something a little more wholesome: a dodgeball league. However, instead of pitting the children against each other, they must go through him first. Lord Shaxx demands victory… that’s all he’ll ask and he’ll only ask once.
Gnop!: Moving to another Bungie IP, this Hallmark Channel-style story tells the tale of a long-distance romance, betrayal, and two paddles who find love in unexpected places while fighting over a single ball.
TELESTO - The Rock Opera: Why break the world in silence when you can break out in song? Join an exotic tale of a wild weapon searching for meaning in the universe. Told through a fusion of smooth jazz and explosive rock ballads, TELESTO is rife with all the glitz and glamor of Broadway, proving that not all that glitters is gold… sometimes it’s glowy and purple.
Bungie has proven time and time again that they are masters of weaving together rich stories. It is my hope that their pending acquisition by Sony will bring more of them forward into new mediums from movies to series and from anime and audio adventures.It would be amazing to experience the time-traveling adventures of Elsie Bray, to see the Battle of Twilight's Gap, the Midnight Coup, the destruction of Riis, and to explore countless stories from The Golden Age. But, for now, we will just have to dream.
In the meantime, we will leave you with a couple fan-made projects that you might enjoy.
Solas - Episode 1 - IMMERSIPLAY
Dynasty - MyNameIsBfy
(This is a development journal, but it is slated to release prior to The Witch Queen. Also, if you don’t know what’s going on in Destiny 2, watch Byf’s videos - you won’t be sorry.)
If you are interested in more Destiny 2 and Bungie-related content, stick around. We have a few things planned leading up to the release of The Witch Queen including a review of the expansion once it releases.
