T w e n t y S i d e d
My column this week is about Bungie leaving Activision and how this is impacting the design of Destiny 2. Will Bungie be able to make it a better game now that they have creative control and are able to adopt a monetizationThe spell checkers in Google Docs and WordPress both recognize “demonetization” but not “monetization”. That’s weird, and probably the fault of YouTube creating a never-ending series of controversies involving the longer word. scheme of their own choosing? Will the game flourish, or will it struggle now that they no longer have access to the wisdom and genius of Activision CEO Bobby Kotick?
The big move happens at the end of summer. Destiny 2 is still running on Activision’s infrastructure on the PC, but in September it will be moving to Steam. I’m very curious to see how that goes. I can’t remember the last time a popular MMO broke away from a financially healthy publisher like this. This can’t be the first time, can it?
2019 is turning out to be an amazing year for the big publishers. Between this, “surprise mechanics“, and unskippable in-game ads in a $60 title, it feels like Wilson and Kotick are a couple of frat boys who have just discovered that nobody’s paying attention and now they’re competing to see who can perpetrate the most egregious breach of social norms. It’s a cross between Jordan Belfort and Jackass.
I can’t believe EA CEO Andrew Wilson still has a job. John Riccitiello – the previous CEO – resigned back in 2013, and his failures were a lot less severe than Wilson’s antics. Sure, the company struggled under Riccitiello, but he didn’t accidentally create a global backlash that threatened to outlaw one of the company’s largest revenue streams. Stockholders supposedly don’t care about bad press or scandal as long as the money is coming in, but this screwup is threatening the money. Sooner or later an adult has to show up and tell Wilson he’s done enough damage. I mean, this can’t go on forever.
Can it?
