Developed entirely by NetEase, with minimal involvement from Bungie, Destiny Rising is set in an alternate universe and timeline, predating the founding of the Vanguard. The game takes place during a time when people were being resurrected by Ghosts and granted Light powers, but without any clear guidance on how to use their newfound abilities.
This new game, which was entirely developed by Netease with little involvement from Bungie, will take place in an alternate universe/timeline from the core games in the series. Take a look at the announcement trailer:
A short ViDoc (visual documentary) video was released as well, which you can watch below, where both NetEase and Bungie staff discuss the direction of the game along with Netease’s vision. Their aim is to please long-time fans of the Destiny franchise, while also appealing to new players who may never have experienced a Destiny game before.
Despite being set in an alternate timeline, the game will feature familiar elements from the franchise, including recognizable faces like Ikora, enemies like the Hive, Fallen, and Vex, as well as popular exotic weapons like Sweet Business and Izanagi’s Burden, as seen in the Alpha gameplay trailer.
In Destiny Rising, players will take control of specific heroes, each with their own distinct combat style, powers, abilities, and character motivations. Though the game will focus on unique hero characters, multiple armor sets for customization were showcased, suggesting that player personalization will still be a key feature- something we expect will be heavily monetized. One character, closely resembling what will eventually become a Warlock (classes were not established yet in this era), was seen wielding a Void Scythe—a weapon that looks as cool as it sounds. We need this in D2, Bungie.
NetEase has also confirmed that the gear rarity tiers from Destiny will return, with the addition of a new rarity tier referred to as either “Mythic” or “Mystic.” (While closed captions labeled it as “Mythic,” the spoken word in the ViDoc was clearly “Mystic.”) The game will also introduce a new weapon type—a crossbow, adding to the variety of combat styles and is presumed to be the first known Mythic/Mystic.
While the Alpha footage looks impressive in such an early state, it remains to be seen just how many Destiny players will transition to a mobile-exclusive game, especially since the franchise has primarily thrived on consoles and PC. However, Destiny Rising appears to target mobile players, offering them a unique Destiny experience and not the other way around. The game’s development, rooted in NetEase’s experience with mobile gaming, suggests it may appeal to a different audience, with mobile players at the forefront. That said, if Diablo Immortal’s initial launch is any indication, and Destiny’s track record of seemingly always having a rocky start, it is expected Destiny Rising will face a similar fate.
For those interested in trying Destiny Rising, sign-ups for a closed beta playtest are now available, with testing set to begin on November 1, 2024. The mobile gaming community, along with Destiny fans, will soon get their first taste of this new chapter in the franchise, even if many think this is not the direction fans had hope it would follow…
Questions about the upcoming #DestinyRising Closed Alpha? We've got you covered. Follow the link to check out our FAQ and make sure you've signed up for a chance to participate, starting November 1st. 👇👇👇
Learn more about the #DRCA: https://t.co/d3yXPVfLyG ℹ️
— Destiny Rising (@_DestinyRising) October 14, 2024
