PlayStation Studios developers look back on their time as Guardians – PlayStation.Blog

Can you believe it's been 10 years since Destiny first came out on PS3 and PS4? 10 years since players first chose Hunter, Titan, or Warlock and delved into Bungie's sprawling sci-fi world to build their fledgling Guardian. I can still vividly remember facing off against a fearsome Fallen Walker for the first time in the Cosmodrome during the Destiny Alpha all those years ago.

To celebrate the series' ten-year run, we asked the developers at PlayStation Studios to share their fondest memories of playing Destiny and what they think makes the game so engaging and satisfying.

Without further ado, happy 10th anniversary, Destiny!

“When Destiny first came out and I had been playing for a while, I actually contacted my old high school friends who live in another city and convinced them to buy a PS4 and come over right away. We had so much fun that it was the start of our weekly game night that we've been doing since 2014. Destiny was basically the reason we reconnected and became even better friends.

I usually can't play a game without analyzing the animations. I've always been impressed with Destiny's cinematics and enemy animations. Each faction has always felt very distinct and unique, with distinct personalities expressed through their movements. Bungie's use of runtime and full-body IK rigs has always been amazing, too.“

– Bruno Velazquez, Game Director, Santa Monica Studio

Play video

“I got Destiny as a birthday present to myself two months after it launched, and it has given me so many joyful moments over the past decade and a fireteam of friends for life.

But the one moment I'll never forget is the opening mission of the Shadowkeep expansion. One of my friends made it out of the tunnels of the Hive first and said, “Oh my god, you guys have to get up here now.” I can still remember the awe and horror when I turned the corner in the tunnels of the moon and saw a giant pyramid embedded in the moon rock and realized what it meant. One of the best reveals I've ever seen.

As a lighting artist, Destiny is a huge inspiration for me, from the beautiful skyboxes to the excellent use of color and silhouette to create tension and focal points and guide the player through fantastic spaces. It's my dream to work on a game with so much freedom in terms of color and atmosphere!“

– Jen Carlin, light artist, Insomniac Games

“Destiny is a game I've been playing on and off since September 2014. I begged my aunt to get it for me as an early Christmas present because I knew from the first trailers that this game was special. It was always there throughout high school, college, and my PlayStation career.

When I enter the tower, it feels like coming home, no matter how long I've been away from it. So it was all the more devastating when we lost the first one, of course, and all the more gratifying when we found it again in the Pale Heart. Destiny has achieved an incredible symbiosis, built on the commitment of not only the developers, but also the players and the community, allowing them to create this intense emotional connection.

As a narrative and mission designer, the longevity of the story, the depth of the world-building, and the memorability of not only the main campaigns but also the seasonal stories have left a deep impression on me that makes me want to be able to experience it all again and I hope to emulate this in my future career.“

– Sam Jordan, designer, Insomniac Games

“My earliest memory of Destiny is running Relic Iron Loops on Mars for a friend, but my fondest memory is my raid team defeating Nezarac in competitive mode after we were eliminated in the final skirmish, all because a friend insisted on using Osteo Striga.

Player expression through buildcrafting is what keeps my interest in Destiny consistently high, especially the little details of how a build can differ from person to person. I love tweaking my support builds to help my teammates, whether it's printing orbs on Arc Hunter, locking down the battlefield on Stasis Warlock, or creating safe havens on Void Titan. Happy 10th anniversary Destiny, you've definitely become a legend!“

– Matthew Makuch, Senior Technical Designer, Bend Studio

Play video

“Each raid has a physical jacket you can buy if you complete it in the first week. My favorite is my first one, the Crown of Sorrow jacket. The jacket has a chalice and my gamer tag on it. I didn't have a clan, but this was worth a try playing LFG. At minimum power, the difficulty got ridiculous. I was one shot away from death on most hits. Eventually the group kicked me out and I went to bed disheartened and disappointed.

The next day I joined another group quest to try again an hour before reset. In the group were speedrunners from Fast, who had set the world record two weeks later. I didn't realize this until they flew over and skipped the whole jumping puzzle!

The final boss would randomly spawn crystals that two players had to fight in close combat. I was so focused on surviving that I often missed the spawn, so I kept hearing “Behind you! Hurry up!” Ten minutes before the reset, we cleared an Enrage [an attack that’s unleashed if players take too long] right before we killed the boss. But we pulled ourselves together and got the kill just minutes before the end. In less than 24 hours, I went from the lowest point to the highest point of my Destiny journey.“

– Jeffrey Lininger, Lead Game Designer, Guerrilla

“What I love about Destiny is that it's a social sandbox and a TV show that I can't get enough of. Leading a group of my friends through the Vault of Glass, their first raid, was a great experience!

When I find something cool, my first instinct is to tell someone, so it's been so much fun to share one of my absolute favorite experiences with others, walking them through each encounter and watching them, well, die over and over again, but also get excited as they figure out each mechanic and finally succeed.

At the same time, it's a fascinating world to explore and delve into. Reading the Books of Sorrow and the work of the great team of writers made as much of an impression on me as exploring the Pale Heart or finally defeating Skolas when we foolishly (or bravely?) tried to do it the week Lightswitch was the modifier. Good times. Telesto is also the Besto.“

– Luke Gillard, Lead Functional Tester, Guerrilla/PlayStation QA

Play video

“The most memorable moment for me was the start of the Witch Queen expansion, when you were cannonballing (literally) through an endless series of beautiful locations that left me speechless.

Destiny 2 is a masterpiece in visual quality and graphical standards. The carefully crafted environments are rich in narrative design and, what I'm particularly impressed with, the lighting. Artistic lighting has had such a huge impact on the methods I use to approach lighting in similarly enriched environments since the beginning of Destiny. From the use of color, compositions and implementation to the gameplay, the team's artistic talent truly sets one of the highest standards for our industry and they continually prove this with each new expansion.

“

– Daniel Sewell, Lead Light Artist, Haven

What are your earliest and fondest memories of the last 10 years of Destiny?