'Destiny' isn't quite ready for esports, and it may never be
I love Destiny a whole lot, but I don't think it's a good fit for professional gaming.
The dawn of private matches in Destiny has led a lot of the game's fans to speculate -- "assume" may be a better word for it -- that esports are next. Bungie even has guidelines in place -- the Destiny Competition License -- for those wishing to host their own tournaments.
The problem is the game itself. That's not to say Destiny is bad; it's just not built for professional play.
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Think about the most popular esports, like League of Legends, StarCraft 2 and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. They all share one common feature: an even playing field.
Going into any given match in one of those games -- or any other popular esport -- the main differentiating factor separating every player is skill.
There are mechanisms in some of these games for leveling up or unlocking better gear, but any sense of progression exists entirely within the match. Once it's over and you jump into a new match, you're on level ground again.
Destiny doesn't work that way. It's a loot-driven RPG first and foremost, with hundreds of different guns and armor pieces, and thousands of potential perk combinations -- "rolls," as they're called -- for each one.
More than that, the game's armory is fluid and subject to change. Major updates like Rise of Iron bring big changes to the availability of weapons and armor from various vendors. Even the more minor events like Iron Banner provide play-or-you'll-miss-it gear, much of which is often optimized with PvP-friendly rolls.
That means each new Crucible match is not a level playing field. There's not a singular "ultimate gun" in Destiny, but the unavoidable loadout variance between players means that some people are going to be at a disadvantage because they've had unlucky gear drops.
It's not an impossible problem to address, but it's also something Bungie isn't likely to pour resources into right now. Rise of Iron is very likely the last major update for Destiny before a full sequel is released.
The developer is likely in "wait and see" mode right now with esports. All the pieces are there for fans to create small tournaments, and if things take off we might see more of a dedicated push toward creating something for pros to play with.
I joined Mashable Esports Producer Tanner Etheridge and Esports Reporter Kellen Beck on Facebook Live to chat about this very topic at greater length. You can watch it below.
Adam Rosenberg is a Senior Games Reporter for Mashable, where he plays all the games. Every single one. From AAA blockbusters to indie darlings to mobile favorites and browser-based oddities, he consumes as much as he can, whenever he can.Adam brings more than a decade of experience working in the space to the Mashable Games team. He previously headed up all games coverage at Digital Trends, and prior to that was a long-time, full-time freelancer, writing for a diverse lineup of outlets that includes Rolling Stone, MTV, G4, Joystiq, IGN, Official Xbox Magazine, EGM, 1UP, UGO and others.Born and raised in the beautiful suburbs of New York, Adam has spent his life in and around the city. He's a New York University graduate with a double major in Journalism and Cinema Studios. He's also a certified audio engineer. Currently, Adam resides in Crown Heights with his dog and his partner's two cats. He's a lover of fine food, adorable animals, video games, all things geeky and shiny gadgets.
