Bungie gets full rights for 'Destiny' after cutting ties with Activision

Bungie and Activision are no longer working together.

In a joint statement from both Bungie and Activision, the two companies announced Thursday that will be cutting ties with each other. All publishing rights of the Bungie-developed series Destiny will be handed over to bungie by Activision at an unspecified date.

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This means that Bungie will be taking control of all rights for Destiny and Destiny 2, the latter of which released in 2017 and continues to be updated today.

In a statement from Bungie, the developer announced that it will be publishing Destiny on its own now, rather than find a new publisher to work with. Before partnering with Activision, Bungie was previously owned by Microsoft where the studio developed the first three Halo games.

"The planned transition process is already underway in its early stages, with Bungie and Activision both committed to making sure the handoff is as seamless as possible," Bungie said in its statement.

Many Destiny fans are excited about the development, has the community has routinely expressed its distaste for Activision's perceived involvement in the game.

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Bungie first partnered with Activision in 2010, signing a 10-year agreement which seems to be getting cut short a year early (unless the split takes a whole year and change to wrap up). The first Destiny game launched in 2014.

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Fans of Destiny have blamed Activision for the presence of microtransactions in the game and other features that seem to be more focused on increasing profits than creating an enjoyable experience for players.

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There's no guarantee that these features will be going away or downplayed in the future, that'll be up to Bungie to decide.

In its statement, the developer says that it has listened to fans with regard to its latest expansion, which could be a beacon of hope for players who have aired their grievances publicly.

"With Forsaken, we’ve learned, and listened, and leaned in to what we believe our players want from a great Destiny experience," Bungie said. "Rest assured there is more of that on the way. We’ll continue to deliver on the existing Destiny roadmap, and we’re looking forward to releasing more seasonal experiences in the coming months, as well as surprising our community with some exciting announcements about what lies beyond."

Activision will continue to work on its other properties, which includes the recently released Call of Duty: Black Ops 4.

Activision is also partnered with Blizzard Entertainment under the joint banner of Activision Blizzard, and while the two companies have reportedly remained mostly independent in terms of game development, some Blizzard fans have expressed similar grievances to those of Destiny fans and have taken this opportunity to tell Activision to drop its relationship with Blizzard too.

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Of course, this is all just perceived influence on popular game series, and we don't know exactly what kind of effect Activision has on its partners.