Bungie Rejected a Destiny Dating Simulator Because “Nobody Wanted Romance”
It is difficult to know exactly what led Bungie to cancel the planned Destiny 2 expansions, but the decision has clearly frustrated many fans of the franchise.
The disappointment comes at a time when the studio is already under pressure, as Marathon has faced criticism from parts of the community and reports continue to suggest that further layoffs could take place in the near future.
A Destiny 3 is also not part of Bungie’s current plans because of the high development costs. However, another much smaller and more affordable project was also turned down: a dating simulator set in the Destiny universe.
Bungie Said No to a Destiny Romance Game Despite Multiple Pitches
If you ever imagined romantic relationships involving characters such as Cayde-6, Ikora Rey, or Mara Sov, you were not alone. According to former Bungie community manager Liana Ruppert, the studio actually worked on a concept for a romantic game based on the franchise.
She explained that the team created a dating simulator proposal inspired by Dream Daddy, one of the best-known games in the genre. She said, “The team actually made one but leadership was very Hard No that nobody wanted romance or silliness. Very Dream Daddy inspired lmao. It was fun getting to be a small part of it.”
Another former Bungie developer, Robert Brookes, shared more details about the cancelled project. He added, “To be fair the dating sim that was made was a part of the “Carnival” event Bungie used to do where devs had a week to make fun prototypes. So it was never a full-fledged project. That said, we did pitch that as a full-fledged project every year.”
According to Brookes, the answer was always the same: no. The proposal reportedly included development costs, profit projections, and detailed business data. Even with all that information, Bungie’s leadership was not convinced.
As things stand, it looks unlikely that Destiny will ever get its own dating simulator, especially at a time when the future of the franchise itself remains uncertain.
In other news, former Destiny 2 developers say Bungie is a toxic and dysfunctional place, blaming leadership for years of problems.
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