Bungie Developers Repeatedly Pitched a Destiny Dating Sim, but Leadership Rejected It
Bungie developers were apparently very passionate about a Destiny dating simulator, but leadership had no interest. Former Bungie community member Liana Ruppert shared this fun fact with players after seeing a fan express interest in a Destiny dating sim. She mentioned that the team had actually created a prototype, but leadership gave a very hard no, feeling that players wouldn't want romance or silliness in the franchise. Ruppert described the project as "very Dream Daddy inspired" and noted it was fun to be involved in, even if it never made it past the prototype stage.
The Origins of the Destiny Dating Sim Idea
Former Bungie senior narrative designer Robert Brookes added more context, revealing that the idea originated from an event where the studio was allowed to prototype fun side projects for a week. During this time, a small group of developers became enamored with the concept of a Destiny dating sim and tried to scale it into a full-blown project. Brookes noted that the team even created a pitch deck with detailed costs and metrics, but leadership remained uninterested.
Brookes also mentioned that two of the developers behind the pitch had experience in romance game design, which gave the project a level of legitimacy. However, despite their efforts, the idea never gained traction within the studio. It's easy to see why Bungie was hesitant to move forward. A side project like this could be perceived as a waste of resources by frustrated community members, especially when other parts of Destiny 2 could use more support.
The situation is reminiscent of how Marathon, a proper big-budget Bungie shooter, has been treated by some members of the community. Unfortunately, it seems unlikely that this Destiny dating sim will ever come to fruition, especially with recent developments at Bungie. The studio recently ended support for Destiny 2, and it has been reported that they will undergo "significant" layoffs as a result.
Similarly, Destiny 3 is not currently in active development, and it seems unlikely that it will happen anytime soon, given Bungie's recent performance. Smaller-scale Destiny games may be feasible, but it could be years before we see them materialize.
