We could've had a 'very Dream Daddy-inspired' Destiny dating sim, but management said no fun
Overview & Key Takeaways
A bunch of cool game jam concepts never made it further than that.
If you were thinking Destiny 2's ending couldn't get any more depressing, you're wrong. Unfortunately. In a reaction to my pondering of what Destiny 3 should even be (if ever made, of course), a streamer by the name of Chrizmo demanded something that's been brought up a few times over the years: a dating sim.
Ex-community manager Liana Ruppert replied, explaining that, "Fun fact, the team actually made one," backing up a casual confirmation from a few years ago. The issue, which seems to be recurring at this point, is that "leadership was very 'Hard No' that nobody wanted romance or silliness." Boo.
Ruppert describes this long-lost idea as being "very Dream Daddy-inspired," leaving me to picture a very tongue-in-cheek roster of romances like Crow, Mara, and Empress Caiatl. Hell, imagine getting seduced by Xur, Mithrax, or even the Witness. YouTuber 'A Wild Deathstroke' actually made a fan concept video in 2022:
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Destiny 2 Dating Simulator - YouTube
Former senior narrative designer Robert Brookes elaborated, saying that the project was dreamed up during a week-long game jam, where the team was given free rein to pitch and make fun prototypes. Alas, "it was never a full-fledged project," Brookes explains, but the team did lobby to make it so every year.
"Myself and two other narrative team members (who both CAME from romance game design) had an entire pitch deck for one complete with costs and real hard metrics on returns."
Not to kick a dog while it's down, but that's not all we missed out on. Former Bungie director Christopher Barrett revealed that there was "also a fighting game, a Destiny-inspired heavy metal concert, a dialogue conversation system, and other random stuff" made in game jams.
Obviously, these were generally rough concepts made to spark some creative thinking, but it's hard not to imagine how these could've looked in-game. I think a Valentine's event involving a dating sim would've been silly, non-canon fun. It's not been confirmed, but I wouldn't be surprised if something like the iconic Sparrow Racing League spawned from experiments like this.
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While it's a shame these ideas never came to any kind of tangible reality for players, it's always interesting to hear more about the behind-the-scenes of Bungie. Even more so, given the reports over the years of struggles between developers and leadership, with the added pressure of lots of red on its financial books.
