One of Bungie’s key people is set to be leaving the company.
On Twitter, Joe Blackburn, Destiny 2’s Game Director, shared this message:
“Next month, The Final Shape will be hitting one of its most critical internal milestones: a ritual we call the End-to-End playtest. This ritual has been a key part of development since Forsaken.
It’s multiple days of consecutive internal playtesting that not only generates incredibly valuable closing feedback on everything coming this summer, but also spiritually kicks off a shift towards bug fixing and polish work.
Heading into this milestone, I’ve gotten to play 100s of hours of The Final Shape, and what the world-class talent here at Bungie has created has quickly become of the things I’m most proud to have worked on throughout my career.
This ritual will be especially meaningful to me personally, as it will also serve as a moment to pass the torch of Destiny 2 Game Director to the next era of leadership as I head on a new adventure outside the walls of Bungie.
As we hit End-to-End next month, Tyson Green will take the reins as D2 Game Director. If you’ve followed Bungie for any length of time, you’ve heard his name. From Halo PvP to the creation of Exotic weapons in D1, Tyson has been a critical part of Bungie’s legacy since Myth II.
As a deeply invested Guardian before starting here at Bungie, getting to be a part of the Destiny 2 team has been the privilege of a lifetime.
I am and will forever remain a lifelong Bungie fan and believer in what the teams within its walls are capable of.
I’ve still got some time before I pass the torch, but as I look forward to taking a big break from social media, I know I’ll see yall around the Tower. It is going to be great to play Destiny alongside all of you.”
As Joe has pointed out, he is set to leave Bungie next month the studio is scheduling Destiny 2’s End-to-End playtest. Taking over his position is Tyson Green, who is himself a longtime Bungie veteran.
Fans and peers had only kind things to say in response to Joe on his quote tweets. Catarina Macedo, who bills herself as a Destiny project lead, says that Joe was a champion of the title and its community. A former co-worker named Liana Ruppert stated, “When we talk about the good folks in leadership, we are talking about folks like Joe and many others.”
Among the fans, D Flawless said that she could tell Joe truly cared about the game and community. Difizzle was effuse with gratitude, saying, “You were here for us and cared for us in a way most people wouldn’t have been willing to when we needed it most.”
For the recent spate of negative news surrounding Bungie, it’s mildly surprising but certainly heartening that there were still people in the studio that people trusted and believed in, and that gratitude could still be felt after all this time.
