A Destiny 2 mobile game has been announced, but it sounds like Bungie's involvement is minimal

Three characters stand in the shadow of the Traveler.
(Image credit: NetEase)

There have been rumblings of a Destiny 2 mobile game for a few years now—the rumours growing in intensity over the last few months, ever since Bungie laid off 220 developers amid speculation of what, exactly, the hell was going on. Those rumours are now reality, as Netease has announced Destiny: Rising—a mobile game that will act as a sort of alt-history prequel to the current Destiny.

Billed as an "epic" free-to-play mobile shooter, Destiny: Rising is set in "an alternate Destiny timeline" during the post-Collapse era. It claims to offer a mix of singleplayer, co-op and multiplayer modes, including some that will be familiar to current Destiny players.

So look, the default response here is scepticism and panic, right? Bungie's recent woes—not least the mass layoffs earlier this year—appear to stem in part from a studio that had stretched itself too thin. A mobile version of Destiny is not what its playerbase wants, and any time spent creating it is going to feel—for a community desperate seeking some stability from the series' developer—like a waste. But actually, Bungie seems to only be tangentially involved in this.

Perhaps because of the reasons above, the press release for Destiny: Rising seems to go to great lengths to tell us this is primarily a Netease joint. "Developed and published by NetEase Games, and officially licensed by Bungie," it reads, positioning the beleaguered Bellevue studio at arms length from this announcement. It's a sentiment further echoed by the trailer. Even the fact that this is billed as an "alternate Destiny timeline" seems to be distancing Rising from the base series. Lore contradictions? Character inconsistencies? Alternate timeline, innit.

Which, honestly, is just as well, because the look of the trailer does not scream "post-Collapse" Earth to me.

Destiny: Rising | Official Announcement Trailer - YouTube Destiny: Rising | Official Announcement Trailer - YouTube
Watch On

It's all vibrant and modern—it looks like a version of the game of today, rather than an exploration of a period that we're told, in lore, is rich with bloodthirsty warlords and bands of humans on the edge of survival, desperately seeking refuge. Admittedly there's a reason Destiny proper has also rarely tackled this period of the game's history—it's altogether darker, more muted, and just generally harder to sell.

As for specifics, Netease has laid out a few details about how it will all work. Players will be able to customise their character—Wolf—but also meet and play as other characters, including some known names like Ikora Rey. Activities include Haven Ops strike missions, no doubt similar to the Vanguard Ops of the main game, and Gauntlet Ops, which the official site calls "raid-like".

As for how this will all affect me, someone who plays Destiny 2, my gut feeling based on everything that's been announced is that it won't. As noted, the announcement seems to highlight that Bungie's involvement here is minimal—likely a good thing given the turmoil at the studio, as well as the work currently happening for next year's expansions. And given what a far cry the setting feels from what we think of as Destiny 2's post-Collapse era, I doubt there'll be any impact here on the lore and story of the main game. Basically, it's not for me, and—if it's not affecting Destiny 2's actual development in any way—that's fine.

Nevertheless, if you've got a particular hankering to shoot purple space magic at some aliens—but now on your phone—you can pre-register interest to try the Destiny: Rising alpha.

TOPICS
Phil Savage
Editor-in-Chief

Phil has been writing for PC Gamer for nearly a decade, starting out as a freelance writer covering everything from free games to MMOs. He eventually joined full-time as a news writer, before moving to the magazine to review immersive sims, RPGs and Hitman games. Now he leads PC Gamer's UK team, but still sometimes finds the time to write about his ongoing obsessions with Destiny 2, GTA Online and Apex Legends. When he's not levelling up battle passes, he's checking out the latest tactics game or dipping back into Guild Wars 2. He's largely responsible for the whole Tub Geralt thing, but still isn't sorry.

Read more
A Guardian with a grenade launcher and a very fancy hat.
Destiny 2's new episode hits next week, sending players back into the giant, haunted spaceship where the first game had its finest moments
Star Wars cosmetics in Destiny 2
Destiny 2's latest season will run a lengthy 5 months, implying a July launch date for Frontiers
New art of Harry and Kim from Disco Elysium, with Harry holding a lit molotov cocktail.
Despite Disco Elysium Mobile aiming to 'captivate the TikTok user,' it looks surprisingly decent—but it's still insulting to Disco's ousted creators
Destiny 2 Rite of the Nine: The Emissary, massive, ominously standing at the edge of a water basin.
Oops! Bungie rolled out Destiny 2's Rite of the Nine event three weeks early, and new loot is already dropping
Destiny 2 Rite of the Nine: The Emissary, massive, ominously standing at the edge of a water basin.
Everything we know about Destiny 2 Rite of the Nine
Star Wars cosmetics in Destiny 2
Destiny 2 is getting Star Wars cosmetics and I'm kind of tired of these multimedia crossovers but yeah, that armor does look cool
Latest in FPS
Rainbow Six Siege year 9 season 2 key art - two Rainbow Six Siege operators facing each other
'Siege 2 was never on the table': Rainbow Six Siege X director explains why the 10-year-old FPS doesn't need a sequel
rainbow six siege sledge
After holding out for 10 years, Rainbow Six Siege is finally going free-to-play (kind of)
rainbow six siege x dual front mode
Rainbow Six Siege is getting its first permanent mode in 10 years, and it throws every Siege rule out the window
Fragpunk characters with weapon drawn
The latest big game on Steam is Fragpunk, or as I like to call it, 'kitchen-sink Counter-Strike'
spectre divide
Spectre Divide and its studio are shutting down after just six months: 'The industry is in a tough spot right now'
Masked Counter-Terrorist in helmet in forefront with sunglasses and beret-wearing CT in background touching headset
There's hope yet for Classic Offensive after its Steam rejection: The team behind the Counter-Strike 1.6 revival mod is in touch with Valve about its 'concerns'
Latest in News
Still image of Bastion holding a bird, taken from Microsoft's Copilot for Gaming reveal trailer
Microsoft unveils Copilot for Gaming, an AI-powered 'ultimate gaming sidekick' that will let you talk to your console so you don't have to talk to your friends
Erenshor - A player and two simulated MMO party members stand on a plateau in front of a yellow landscape
This RuneScape-looking 'simulated MMORPG' has all the nostalgia without the drama because all the other 'players' are NPCs
Pirate Bay co-founder Carl Lundstrom
Pirate Bay co-founder and far-right politician found dead after plane crash
Sunset in the desert in Hello Sunshine
Hello Sunshine is a desert survival sandbox where you live in the literal shadow of the colossus
Roblox CEO David Baszucki.
'Don't let your kids be on Roblox', Roblox CEO tells parents, before comparing himself to Walt Disney and declaring the platform 'the future of communication'
Titus in Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 3 reveal promo image
Praise be to the Omnissiah! Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 3 is officially in development