Bungie, the acclaimed developer behind the Xbox-exclusive Halo franchise, will be releasing its next game in 2013.
Codenamed “Destiny,” the game is expected to launch on the next generation home consoles, the Microsoft Xbox 720 and the Sony PS4. Activision will publish the new games developed by Bungie.
The facts about the new games were revealed in a lawsuit between Activision and Infinity Ward co-founders, Jason West and Vincent Zampella. So technically, neither Activision nor Bungie have officially announced the new game. Maybe we will get our first glimpse of the game at E3 2012?
The contract between Activision and Bungie, dated 2010, states that the first game in the Destiny series may be exclusively released for the Xbox 360 and the Xbox 720. The tentative launch dates of the games were not specified but sources all over the Internet suggest that the first game in the franchise will release in 2013 followed by sequels in 2015, 2017 and 2019. Subsequently, the first Destiny game would be released for the PlayStation 3 at a later date, presumably the fall of 2014. This indicates that the game will be an Xbox excusive for quite some time.
The new Destiny series is expected to be a sci-fi action-shooter game. Speculation has the first game in the Destiny series exclusive to the consoles, while only the second iteration of the franchise will be developed for the PC as well.
The contract between Bungie and Activision also suggests that Bungie will be required to ship at least two DLCs (Downloadable Content) per title in the Destiny franchise. These DLCs are codenamed “Comet”. Comet is expected to release in 2014, 2016, 2018 and 2020 for the respective titles.
Bungie and Activision signed a 10-year contract in 2010. Bungie is famous for developing the Halo franchise, which is an Xbox exclusive. After Bungie, 343 Industries has taken on the onus to carry forward the Halo franchise. Halo 4 is expected to hit store shelves in November 2012.