Destiny fans hunt for hidden clue to Bungie's next game
"Yes. Maybe :)"
Destiny fans are hoping to find a clue to Bungie's next project buried in Destiny 2.
The hunt began when Bungie director Christopher Barrett admitted the studio had hidden an Easter egg to his team's new project within Destiny 2.
"Have you left an Easter egg in Destiny for your new IP? I would be disappointed if there wasn't," one fan asked via Twitter (thanks, GamesRadar). "Yes," Barrett replied. "Maybe :)"
Bungie infamously left a teaser for Destiny (eventually released in 2014) back in 2007's Halo 3: ODST, where you can see an image of the Earth with the text "Destiny awaits". The Earth even has a satellite you'd think was the Moon - but is now an obvious nod to the Destiny franchise's sentient space orb The Traveller.
(Microsoft since cut this Easter egg from ODST when it was re-released as part of Halo: The Master Chief Collection.)
Barrett is listed as game director of Bungie's unannounced new project - about which we know very little. So far, there's little for Destiny fans to go on.
Back in June 2018, Bungie secured $100m in funding from Chinese publisher NetEase to begin work on its new non-Destiny franchise. Shortly after, the studio filed a trademark for a new project named "Matter".
The following year, Bungie suggested it would become a multi-franchise developer by 2025 - pointing to a potential release window for its new project. And in June 2020, Bungie described its new IP as "something comedic" with "lighthearted and whimsical characters".
Bungie released its most recent Destiny 2 expansion, The Witch Queen, earlier this year. Two more expansions will follow - 2023's Lightfall, and 2024's The Final Shape - which will bring this era of the Destiny storyline to a close.