Bungie Developers Unveil Completely Operational Destiny 2 Dating Simulator That Was Blocked From Release by Senior Management Despite Years of Development and Polished Build
Former Bungie developers have unveiled that the company built a completely operational dating simulator inspired by the sci fi smash Destiny 2. Despite receiving buy in from Bungie executives after several years of development and multiple pitches, the project was ultimately blocked from release by senior management.
The project originated as a simple pitch prototype for Carnival which is an internal Bungie creative festival where teams try out experimental ideas and present them to leadership. Former narrative designer Robert Brooks stated that the team did not close shop after the initial corporate cancellation. Instead, they doggedly tinkered with the visual novel for several years, continually pitching improvements to executives in hopes of securing a commercial release.
Strongly influenced by the successful indie game Dream Daddy, the project was intended to be a humorous romantic spin off designed as a parallel to the main dark universe shooter. Former community manager Liana Ruppert confirmed the existence of a fully completed build and explained the company resistance that killed the project.
"the team actually made one but leadership was very Hard No that nobody wanted romance or silliness. Very Dream Daddy inspired lmao. It was fun getting to be a small part of it." Liana Ruppert on X
Although fans of the franchise expressed excitement, the business side of the company remained unimpressed by the unorthodox project. Internal leadership held the position that the audience did not enjoy romantic comedies within the franchise. This situation serves as a classic example of creative forces attempting to take a familiar IP into a new genre, only to be held back by traditionalist business methods. The visual novel remains completed but has never been released, existing now only as lost software.
