The servers for Bungie and Activision's Destiny will be live by the time you read this, and the press will be spending the day playing and post streams, videos and impressions from the game's opening hours. The game launches tomorrow on the Xbox 360, Xbox One, PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4, but one important group is being left out of the party. The PC gamers.
We were told there was no news on a possible PC version when we asked on Friday, just in case the game being all but shipped meant that there were new people free to work on this possible port. That's not surprising, but many PC fans are still holding off on picking up a console version until they get a release for their favorite platform. So what has been said about this in the past?
IT SOUNDS PRETTY LIKELY"It is [a good fit], and it's something we're talking about and looking at very carefully, and obviously it makes a lot of sense with the genre and the type of game it is," Erik Hirshberg, the CEO of Activision Publishing, told Polygon during E3.
"You know, developing on PC is a different animal than developing for consoles and so we just want to make sure that we're putting one foot in front of the other and getting it right, and that it's of the highest possible quality. But obviously I see the same things about the natural fit," he continued.
This answer fits the theme whenever the question is asked: It seems like there's enthusiasm for the idea, but nothing to announce ... yet.
"We haven't said yes, and we haven't said no," Bungie senior writer Eric Osborne said. "The more platforms we take on, the more work it ultimately becomes, and what we don't want is to compromise the core experience on any platforms. We have a lot of people who play on PCs. We have a lot of appetite to build that experience. We haven't announced it yet, but we're looking forward to talking more about that kind of stuff in the future."
We were told there was no news on a possible PC version when we asked on Friday, just in case the game being all but shipped meant that there were new people free to work on this possible port. That's not surprising, but many PC fans are still holding off on picking up a console version until they get a release for their favorite platform. So what has been said about this in the past?
IT SOUNDS PRETTY LIKELY"It is [a good fit], and it's something we're talking about and looking at very carefully, and obviously it makes a lot of sense with the genre and the type of game it is," Erik Hirshberg, the CEO of Activision Publishing, told Polygon during E3.
"You know, developing on PC is a different animal than developing for consoles and so we just want to make sure that we're putting one foot in front of the other and getting it right, and that it's of the highest possible quality. But obviously I see the same things about the natural fit," he continued.
This answer fits the theme whenever the question is asked: It seems like there's enthusiasm for the idea, but nothing to announce ... yet.
"We haven't said yes, and we haven't said no," Bungie senior writer Eric Osborne said. "The more platforms we take on, the more work it ultimately becomes, and what we don't want is to compromise the core experience on any platforms. We have a lot of people who play on PCs. We have a lot of appetite to build that experience. We haven't announced it yet, but we're looking forward to talking more about that kind of stuff in the future."
Destiny is one of the most extensive, not to mention expensive with an estimated $500 million budget, deals ever made between a developer and a publisher.
The game is part of a 10-year deal between the two companies, and that $500 million budget proves the commitment Activision has to making the franchise work. That investment means there has to be a major return, however, and that's part of the reason the game couldn't be launched only on the Xbox One and PlayStation 4.
"It's great to see the next gen hardware is off to such a strong start and both the Xbox One and PS4 are well ahead of where their predecessors were at this point … but if you just woke up today and looked at where people are gaming, the majority of people are still on the legacy hardware," Hirshberg said.
He said that it's not yet possible to launch a game this large only on the current generation systems, so they have to target as wide a range of hardware as possible. The limited installed base of the Wii U is an easy choice to make, but Activision is leaving quite a few players on the table judging by the number of frustrated PC gamers who hold out hope for a port.
The servers are live today, the game is released tomorrow and then what? It's likely a PC version has more time and and resources poured into it, if that hasn't already happened. Everyone at Bungie and Activision I've asked about this has expressed what can be summed up as guarded enthusiasm for such a product, and the game is a natural fit for the PC, not to mention the fact that it expands the game's potential audience significantly.
Don't hold your breath for an announcement in the next few months while the marketing blitz is focused on the existing products, but it's safe to say that one day in the future, PC gamers will get their Destiny.
The game is part of a 10-year deal between the two companies, and that $500 million budget proves the commitment Activision has to making the franchise work. That investment means there has to be a major return, however, and that's part of the reason the game couldn't be launched only on the Xbox One and PlayStation 4.
"It's great to see the next gen hardware is off to such a strong start and both the Xbox One and PS4 are well ahead of where their predecessors were at this point … but if you just woke up today and looked at where people are gaming, the majority of people are still on the legacy hardware," Hirshberg said.
He said that it's not yet possible to launch a game this large only on the current generation systems, so they have to target as wide a range of hardware as possible. The limited installed base of the Wii U is an easy choice to make, but Activision is leaving quite a few players on the table judging by the number of frustrated PC gamers who hold out hope for a port.
The servers are live today, the game is released tomorrow and then what? It's likely a PC version has more time and and resources poured into it, if that hasn't already happened. Everyone at Bungie and Activision I've asked about this has expressed what can be summed up as guarded enthusiasm for such a product, and the game is a natural fit for the PC, not to mention the fact that it expands the game's potential audience significantly.
Don't hold your breath for an announcement in the next few months while the marketing blitz is focused on the existing products, but it's safe to say that one day in the future, PC gamers will get their Destiny.
Copyright 2014 http://www.polygon.com/2014/9/8/6120873/Destiny-PC-version-port
