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Halo makers see ‘Destiny’ as gaming’s future

Molly Wood Feb 20, 2013
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Halo makers see ‘Destiny’ as gaming’s future

Molly Wood Feb 20, 2013
HTML EMBED:
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Even if you’re not into video games, you may have heard of Halo, a wildly popular game for XBox consoles that appeared back in 2001. The science fiction title has transcended gaming and become a part of pop culture. It’s generated Internet memes, launched a thousand Halloween costumes, and made billions for Microsoft, who bought it a few years back.

Now, the gaming world is focused on a new project called “Destiny,” made by some of Halo’s original creators.

Ben Kuchera, senior editor at the website Penny Arcade Report, says the industry has been thinking about getting lapsed players back in the game by making it easier to get started.

“They claim that they were able to create the game in such a way that anyone can have it seamlessly taught to them, so that they don’t have to sit down for an hour to find out what’s going on,” Kuchera says.

The only way to use Destiny is with an Internet connection —  a gamer can even play with game characters on a smartphone according to a video released by the game’s maker, Bungie.

“What this offers is the ability to keep people engaged in this world,” Kuchera says. “It’s very likely there will be micro-transactions, so people will be able to buy items directly through the game.”

So what else can a player expect from Destiny? Brad Gallaway, senior editor of Game Critics.com, says the game will comprise a virtual world, but with real people:

“There will be starships that you can own, and you can hop in those and fly anywhere you want to — whether that’s on the same planet or on different planets,” Gallaway says, “and when you are there, the people that you see will be all real people.”

Meaning figures representing real players interacting in real time. The creators say the game, once it’s released, will stay active online for a full decade.   

Check out concept art from Destiny in the video below:

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