Bungie defends Destiny: The Taken King's £/$40 price tag (Eurogamer)

It's almost amusing how much malice people are ascribing to the responses when, if it were an audio or video interview and people had the actual tone of the conversation more bluntly set in front of them...well, this thread probably wouldn't be this large, that's for sure.

Oh I think it would, people feel burned by Activision in general. Then add to that Bungie a studio many people held a special place in their hearts for basically neglected their community ever since Destiny came out. This has been an on going issue, this is just the cherry on top.
 
I just preordered the collectors edition. Because I want it. Feel free to label me whatever you want- it's my money and I'll spend it how I like. I'm not at war with Activision and I know I'll get hours of enjoyment from the package. I also want the art extras.

*shrug*

This is their audience guys. Doesnt matter what we say he will enjoy his game. Like i said earlier, the only way to make destiny change is to give it competition. Other devs will see destiny's numbers and try to clone it just like they tried to clone World of warcraft and Dota. All we can do is wait for something better right now
 

Goose_7

Banned
I just hope this won't sell good, because the price tag is too high.

People, vote with your wallet.

I don't wish any ill will towards Bungie and not want them to sell copies of this but I do agree with your notion that voting with your wallet will at least teach them to try to foster good will with their dedicated fanbase.

I feel silly because as soon as it was ready for pre-order on PSN, guess what? I pre-ordered it.

I'm going to buy it twice, once for ps4 and once for Xbox One.

If you enjoy the game, you will pay for it. If you don't enjoy the game, you wouldn't understand

I disagree completely. I enjoy the game, immensely. Even with HOW not having a raid I enjoy it almost every other day with my friends online. Destiny is not perfect (we all know that by now) but it's so fun to play with your buddies.

It's just the utter ignorance and arrogance to simply say "if you want this special content, since it's only available for the CE's you'll have to rebuy it again."

After Eurogamer questioned this guy again, he was adamant, he did not back down. That's what really gets me. The lack of consideration for the loyal Destiny fans, whose backs and shoulders Bungie stands on.

If you enjoy the game you will pay for it, but sometimes as a fan and consumer you need to have self-respect and some values and this Luke Smith person comes off as a real tool.

I don't know who he is, I've read that he was part of 1up at one point. Besides Bettenhausen, Garnett Lee and Matt Leone I barely remember anyone at 1up, let alone this Luke Smith character.

Some gaffers have even said things like "oh that's Luke" or "he's like that" bullshit i say. His tone as it came across in the interview=UNEXCUSABLE

Ok rant over. Sorry Gaf, but this really made me irritated.

P.S. it's not about the content here, for me at least. It's about the principle of treating your fanbase -especially the Destiny fanbase, who took this widely mediocred reviewed game and gave it its wings or Guardians as it were- with some respect and consideration.
 

Flintty

Member
I just preordered the collectors edition. Because I want it. Feel free to label me whatever you want- it's my money and I'll spend it how I like. I'm not at war with Activision and I know I'll get hours of enjoyment from the package. I also want the art extras.

*shrug*

You! You, consumer, you!

I've ordered it. Whilst I am pissed off with Bungie I know I'll play the game. I might cancel later but I didn't want to regret not reserving it.
 
I used to love Destiny. I defended Destiny. At the time I stopped playing I had three level 32's, every exotic except the 4th Horseman, and two gjallarhorns. To say I put in enough time to experience the game is an understatement. The lack of content, time commitment, and constant grind made me stop playing well before HoW came out.

Having to purchase the base game to get the DLC sucks. It just sucks. I'm sure it will still do well because Destiny scratches that certain itch for a lot of people. Its just a shame. There's great things about the game(the world design, the shooting mechanics, the raids), but things like this, make it really hard to ever want to go back to it.
 

Calm Killer

In all media, only true fans who consume every book, film, game, or pog collection deserve to know what's going on.
Just reading through this and it really turns me off from this game even more. I bought the game and the season pass a few days after launch and played up to 26. I cannot justify paying for this expansion because it seems like it will just be more of the same grindy gameplay with no real way for me to solo anything upper content. Lukems doesn't really help sell anything here either. He is in no way shape or form making me want to buy.
 

Cornbread78

Member
Uggh. I played this game so much and bought the DLC pack, but the DoW content was lacking and now this crap I mean 2 raids still ans almost a year after launch.... At least give us a new trophy set for Crota or DoW, oh wait...
 
I used to love Destiny. I defended Destiny. At the time I stopped playing I had three level 32's, every exotic except the 4th Horseman, and two gjallarhorns. To say I put in enough time to experience the game is an understatement. The lack of content, time commitment, and constant grind made me stop playing well before HoW came out.

Having to purchase the base game to get the DLC sucks. It just sucks. I'm sure it will still do well because Destiny scratches that certain itch for a lot of people. Its just a shame. There's great things about the game(the world design, the shooting mechanics, the raids), but things like this, make it really hard to ever want to go back to it.

You dont have to purchase the base game to get the DLC though

The exclusive emotes are stupid but not a dealbreaker

The price tag is what people are sticking on and thats legitimate (to say the least)
 

KageMaru

Member
It's interesting in the interview how he talks about the Legacy of the game. They said at the forefront is their concept of players having proof and stories of "(paraphrase) being there when the swordbearers and wolves attacked patrols" since that stuff won't be available to people that wait for a year. To me that amount of content couldn't possibly be enough to produce a legacy or a sense of community for having been there. Those were diversions at best. The world doesn't change enough between expansions for that vision to make any sense at all.

But anyway that is their reason for not waiting. You were there when small expac event X happened and you have proof through Y gear or Z stories to tell your 0 friends that still play Destiny (;

:lol all I know is I won't be buying their next game, if I buy it at all and that's sad as I've loved their games for the longest time. The exclusive content was one of the reasons I picked up a PS4 and before launch, Destiny was my most wanted current gen title. I never picked up the last DLC pack and they can go fuck themselves if they think they are selling me on this "expansion".

This needs to be in the op and bolded. I'm fucking disgusted, Activions' deed my ass, this is on Bungie as much as it is on the publisher. Luke Smith sounds like a "we've got them by the balls" shady pusher omg ahahah

That quote is absolutely disgusting. It seems like all humility is lost in the studio.

The Bungie we know is dead.
Everything about them is different now. Everything.

Yup, that's what you get when you deal with the devil. I still put the same amount of blame on Bungie as I do towards Activision. They used to be a studio who innovated, providing new features and jam packing as much content for their fans. Now they figure out how to bleed as much value as possible from as little as they can give.
 

Magwik

Banned
:lol all I know is I won't be buying their next game, if I buy it at all and that's sad as I've loved their games for the longest time. The exclusive content was one of the reasons I picked up a PS4 and before launch, Destiny was my most wanted current gen title. I never picked up the last DLC pack and they can go fuck themselves if they think they are selling me on this "expansion".



That quote is absolutely disgusting. It seems like all humility is lost in the studio.



Yup, that's what you get when you deal with the devil. I still put the same amount of blame on Bungie as I do towards Activision. They used to be a studio who innovated, providing new features and jam packing as much content for their fans. Now they figure out how to bleed as much value as possible from as little as they can give.
It's not the deal that changed them
It's that most of the core members leading the company are gone.
 
I just wanted to say that after 300 hours of playing Destiny and the first expansion, I'm done. I attempted to play it again when House of Wolves was released but couldn't justify $20 for the tiny amount of content added to that second expansion. Now with this new one priced at $40, I was already turned off. Even if I wanted to play it, the second expansion is required. So I'd have to cough up another $60 to even download the new stuff. No thanks man. Maybe when the "goty" pack is $30 or something I'll play again.
 
It's still a funny picture, because it's a true habit with many gamers :D complain very vocally about games and then buy it anyways and have fun. It's only four latte's worth of money at Starbucks.



And it's probably Activisions decision anyways which they are not allowed to go against or something in fear of losing their jobs :(

Wait....Bungie took on MS but they are scared of Activision?..............
 
:lol all I know is I won't be buying their next game, if I buy it at all and that's sad as I've loved their games for the longest time. The exclusive content was one of the reasons I picked up a PS4 and before launch, Destiny was my most wanted current gen title. I never picked up the last DLC pack and they can go fuck themselves if they think they are selling me on this "expansion".



That quote is absolutely disgusting. It seems like all humility is lost in the studio.



Yup, that's what you get when you deal with the devil. I still put the same amount of blame on Bungie as I do towards Activision. They used to be a studio who innovated, providing new features and jam packing as much content for their fans. Now they figure out how to bleed as much value as possible from as little as they can give.

They have the priviledge of not caring about criticism since the game makes so much money

I wonder if how that narrative will change should they start to wane...... I dont see it happening though

The content will continue to be enough to keep people coming back it seems though that steep price tag just might be the tipping point

I doubt it though. They did the same shit with COD (and many others followed suit like EA) and shit barely waned.

The only time there is backlash is when shit doesnt work.. Thats a problem Destiny has never had... even at launch
 

Doran902

Member
I'm hopeful, if it really is a full campaign, a large raid with a "real boss" like they said and some strikes / new area. I'd pay 40 bucks for that assuming my raid team who quit because of no raid come back.

It's going to be tough though the fall has a lot of big games that a lot of my friends will be playing so I don't know how many will come back for Destiny.
 

Flintty

Member
It's interesting in the interview how he talks about the Legacy of the game. They said at the forefront is their concept of players having proof and stories of "(paraphrase) being there when the swordbearers and wolves attacked patrols" since that stuff won't be available to people that wait for a year. To me that amount of content couldn't possibly be enough to produce a legacy or a sense of community for having been there. Those were diversions at best. The world doesn't change enough between expansions for that vision to make any sense at all.

But anyway that is their reason for not waiting. You were there when small expac event X happened and you have proof through Y gear or Z stories to tell your 0 friends that still play Destiny (;

The only 'legacy' from the old days is that damn loot cave. It was a crazy scenario which they then fixed and put an awesome little nod in there for teh vets. The rest is just BS.
 
Activision are a unique publisher and do have a known attitude of doing things in a very unconventional way.

An Activision who just came off a battle with Respawn which cost A LOT of money, a battle that Bungie were well aware of when they signed (They even addressed it at the time). If you think this is pure Acti greed, you're being very generous to Bungie.
 
It's been a while since I played, but it's been fairly obvious to me that somewhere during Destiny's development cycle somewhere the choice was made to turn it into a DLC platform for Bungie/Activision. That's the vibe I got at launch, and so far that's still the vibe I'm getting now.
 

Kill3r7

Member
I'm hopeful, if it really is a full campaign, a large raid with a "real boss" like they said and some strikes / new area. I'd pay 40 bucks for that assuming my raid team who quit because of no raid come back.

It's going to be tough though the fall has a lot of big games that a lot of my friends will be playing so I don't know how many will come back for Destiny.

Agreed. I'm sure Destiny will keep the core crowd but I'm not sure whether enough new/returning players will turn up to steal some of MGSV's thunder.
 

Doffen

Member
An Activision who just came off a battle with Respawn which cost A LOT of money, a battle that Bungie were well aware of when they signed (They even addressed it at the time). If you think this is pure Acti greed, you're being very generous to Bungie.

Yeah, Bungie is not what it used to be.

I blame Microsoft
 
It's almost amusing how much malice people are ascribing to the responses when, if it were an audio or video interview and people had the actual tone of the conversation more bluntly set in front of them...well, this thread probably wouldn't be this large, that's for sure.

Good point. I read the review as the writer and Luke just having fun, and being half serious thoughout the interview.

And really, what should Luke do. The price is set, the marketing/content plan is set. They really can't change anything, so might as well have fun with a interview trying to hardball him and the writer understanding that they're both just fucking around now.
 
I am a casual gamer, I don't care about a majority of the things people take issue with on this site. I come here to talk about games I love. I'm proud to be a filthy casual gaming fan, and not ashamed to admit I buy the horse armors and the little things that are unwarranted.

Of course. Feel free to spend as much as you like on
Destiny or horse armour, as long as you're having fun!

You don't have to label yourself a filthy casual either =p
Most on Gaf have super casual series they really enjoy.

Either way I won't be back until Destiny 2...if it's any good to me
 

sploatee

formerly Oynox Slider
This is their audience guys. Doesnt matter what we say he will enjoy his game. Like i said earlier, the only way to make destiny change is to give it competition. Other devs will see destiny's numbers and try to clone it just like they tried to clone World of warcraft and Dota. All we can do is wait for something better right now

Ha hahahaha

I'm a 34 year old woman. I'll do what I like, love.

Also. I enjoy Destiny. I doubt you could convince me not to enjoy it based on the publisher / developer charging a premium to play. It's a games industry. I like the game. I want the content. I can afford it. So I bought it. You don't want to buy it, don't.

Oh yeah. I also PRE ORDERED it! THEYRE GONNA TAKE AWAY OUR GAMEZZSSSSZSSSZS!!

You! You, consumer, you!

I've ordered it. Whilst I am pissed off with Bungie I know I'll play the game. I might cancel later but I didn't want to regret not reserving it.

I know! Right?! I'm CONSUMING something MADE COMMERCIALLY for PROFIT because I like the PRODUCT!

Shdiwmdhdidbsolamwbddkwebrcdpppl!
 

BokehKing

Banned
Title should be updated to reflect that deep will be addressing this Thursday for the year ones

But hey, keep going nuts and panicking
 
Of course. Feel free to spend as much as you like on
Destiny or horse armour, as long as you're having fun!

You don't have to label yourself a filthy casual either =p
Most on Gaf have super casual series they really enjoy.

Either way I won't be back until Destiny 2...if it's any good to me

I think the Casual Vs Hardcore is the wrong take on the argument

Cost vs Benefit seems more apt and one that is applicable to both types of gamer

Is 40 to high for Destiny players or is Activision threading the addiction needle?
 
Title should be updated to reflect that deep will be addressing this Thursday for the year ones

But hey, keep going nuts and panicking
A pack if shaders, a space bike and a gun are not going to make €40 any more palatable. Moreover you seem to be looking forward to a Deej post, a post from a man who declared the TDB upgrade system a success (trashed in HoW) and has spent more time talking up cos players than actually answering the questions from their own forum. A Deej post is rarely worth body text let alone a title change
 

KageMaru

Member
It's not the deal that changed them
It's that most of the core members leading the company are gone.

True. Still this was Jason Jones' baby and I previously hoped they would handle it better than they have been.

They have the priviledge of not caring about criticism since the game makes so much money

I wonder if how that narrative will change should they start to wane...... I dont see it happening though

The content will continue to be enough to keep people coming back it seems though that steep price tag just might be the tipping point

I doubt it though. They did the same shit with COD (and many others followed suit like EA) and shit barely waned.

The only time there is backlash is when shit doesnt work.. Thats a problem Destiny has never had... even at launch

I would love for consumers to stop buying into their bullshit but I just don't see that happening. I can't judge people for what they do with their money, especially if they find value and entertainment in the game, but I hate how that fan dedication allows Bungie/Activision to do what they want.
 
Ha hahahaha

I'll do what I like, love.

I didnt mean it as an insult at all. I meant it as "who cares what a vocal few say when you and your friends are all having fun with it". I read all the same crap when I bought Call of Duty games in the past. Didn't change how I felt about the game at all. This is why I think only competition will bring change. I left COD for PC shooters.
 

wwm0nkey

Member
This is their audience guys. Doesnt matter what we say he will enjoy his game. Like i said earlier, the only way to make destiny change is to give it competition. Other devs will see destiny's numbers and try to clone it just like they tried to clone World of warcraft and Dota. All we can do is wait for something better right now
Or SEGA could just bring PSO2 over here since Destiny took a lot of cues from that (PSO does loot a lot better though)
 

Catdaddy

Member
They are pricing that xpac like a WoW expansion and since the company is Activision/Blizzard... They are banking on the same type of retention that WoW is getting.
 
True. Still this was Jason Jones' baby and I previously hoped they would handle it better than they have been.



I would love for consumers to stop buying into their bullshit but I just don't see that happening. I can't judge people for what they do with their money, especially if they find value and entertainment in the game, but I hate how that fan dedication allows them to do what they want.

yeah its a bummer when something gets successful to a point that its no longer held to the same standards we would normally expect

At least with COD they always seems to deliver on expectations even if it was only ever iterative

I never felt like COD games were less than what I expected (just more of the same with a little extra)

Bungie seems to continually underwhelm with every chance at the bat.
 
I think the Casual Vs Hardcore is the wrong take on the argument

Cost vs Benefit seems more apt and one that is applicable to both types of gamer

Is 40 to high for Destiny players or is Activision threading the addiction needle?

I think 40 for such an expansion "size" is perfectly ok for Destiny players
who are in the zone with it at the moment.

For me, I just feel like I've had the need to stretch out the previous content and DLC
(tbf for like 100+ hours) before the benefits of playing dried up.

I don't see this expansion as good value at $63 with UK price conversion.
 

sploatee

formerly Oynox Slider
I didnt mean it as an insult at all. I meant it as "who cares what a vocal few say when you and your friends are all having fun with it". I read all the same crap when I bought Call of Duty games in the past. Didn't change how I felt about the game at all. This is why I think only competition will bring change. I left COD for PC shooters.

Oh, sorry. I thought I was a 'problem'.

The truth of the matter is that Destiny is a very addictive and enjoyable game for me and that outweighs the cost of the expansion.

I won't let my gaming habits be dictated to by people who would condemn me for paying a premium for something I enjoy. I have a designer handbag. Did the designer make a sizeable profit? Of course they did. I still enjoy the bag.

I just can't get that worked up about it, I guess. Destiny's content is overpriced when you look at it quantitatively but I know - me, personally - I'll get hours and hours of replay value from it because I'm hooked and I have been - on and off - since the Alpha.
 

Bold One

Member
Damn them be shitty pricings no doubt, but the righteous indignation has peaked by now. Most of whingers were never going to play this anyway. Some people can't resist a good old fashioned Destiny pile on.

Though I will say this, Day 1 players still putting the hours in deserve better
 

Moobabe

Member
Damn them be shitty pricings no doubt, but the righteous indignation has peaked by now. Most of whingers were never going to play this anyway. Some people can't resist a good old fashioned Destiny pile on.

Though I will say this, Day 1 players still putting the hours in deserve better

The pricing is even worse for EU/UK players... :(
 

RexNovis

Banned
I just realized this expansion is releasing at the same price as the new Rachet and Clank game and will likely cost more money than Banner Saga 1&2. Absolutely ridiculous. The unbalanced bullshit in Trials of Osiris has made me really disenchanted with Destiny lately and the news of the expansion being $40 makes me even more so. I think I'd rather play any of the aforementioned games then pay for admission to whatever Bungie's next iteration of Addictive Grinding: The Game.
 

Holundrian

Unconfirmed Member
Damn them be shitty pricings no doubt, but the righteous indignation has peaked by now. Most of whingers were never going to play this anyway. Some people can't resist a good old fashioned Destiny pile on.

Though I will say this, Day 1 players still putting the hours in deserve better

How so? You deserve what you support in this case.
 

sploatee

formerly Oynox Slider
But you are part of a larger problem.

It's called Capitalism.
j/k please don't deport me

I know, I know.

It's all Bungie's fault!

Seriously, I know it's overpriced. But I'm addicted and I want the pointless trinkets to go with the pointless trinkets I got from the original collector's edition.
 
Top Bottom