Beloved studio Bungie's long-running sci-fi looter shooter Destiny is coming to smartphones, though a different company is producing it. NetEase, the Chinese tech company, publisher and developer of various Marvel and Blizzard mobile games, is behind the new game Destiny: Rising -- and players in the US and Canada can sign up for a closed alpha playtest on Nov. 1.
From the looks of Destiny: Rising's first trailer, NetEase has taken a similar approach to the one it used with its successful Diablo Immortal game in adapting the core look and feel of the base games to its mobile counterparts. It combines over-the-shoulder shooting that switches to first-person when aiming down the sights of guns, which you'll be pointing at Vex, Fallen, Hive and other classic Destiny enemies.
What is Destiny: Rising?
Destiny: Rising is an upcoming free-to-play mobile game made by NetEase, the Chinese game publisher, that's set in the universe of Bungie's long-running Destiny online sci-fi shooter game. It has similar gameplay, though it switches between over-the-shoulder and first-person camera. It features the same groups of enemies and broad storyline as the original game, and familiar exotic weapons return.
But the mobile game won't interact or overlap with the original, at least for now. Destiny: Rising is set long before Destiny 2 -- indeed, it's "a new take on Destiny set in an alternate universe with its own timeline," Terry Redfield, creative lead at Bungie, said in a developer preview video. The developer partnered with NetEase to create a mobile version bringing the sci-fi universe and loot-shooting vibes of Destiny to a new audience. Siloing the game in an alternate universe seems intentional to free up development between NetEase's game and Bungie's Destiny 2.Â
How do I get into the Destiny: Rising playtest?
Destiny: Rising will have its first closed alpha playtest starting Nov. 1, though it will only be available to players in the US and Canada. Players will be randomly selected from the pool of those who preregistered on the official Destiny: Rising website. A "good part of the main campaign will be available" in the playtest, according to the official site's playtest Q&A, as well as one map for all game modes.
As a mobile game, Destiny: Rising is available on iOS and Android phones. NetEase recommends phones with the Snapdragon 845 chip (first released in 2018) or newer, or if using an Apple phone, the iPhone 8 or newer. The publisher hasn't confirmed additional playtests, though if they are held, they'll pull from the pool of preregistered players. The game also has an official Discord server for news and coordination during playtests.Â
Who makes Destiny: Rising?Â
Chinese tech company NetEase is making Destiny: Rising alone, though it has partnered with Bungie. NetEase has developed and published plenty of games, most notably co-creating the mobile hit Diablo Immortal with Activision Blizzard and the upcoming Overwatch-like hero shooter Marvel Rivals.Â
NetEase has been involved in a broad range of games in popular franchises including Marvel, Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter. The company has also published games like the action RPG Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night, the wuxia battle royale Naraka: Bladepoint and the survival shooter Once Human.
NetEase has been on an investment and acquisition spree in recent years, most notably investing $100 million into Bungie back in 2018 and acquiring Detroit: Become Human developer Quantic Dream in 2019. The company has also established plenty of new studios headed by lead developers from large western game companies like Blizzard and Capcom as well as those who worked on games like Mass Effect, Call of Duty, BlazBlue, Watch Dogs, Far Cry and Splinter Cell.Â
The company also partnered with western game publishers to bring their titles into China, most notably Blizzard until 2023 and The Pokemon Company/Game Freak.
How will Destiny: Rising be different from Destiny 2?
Destiny: Rising's timeline begins before the Last City exists and the Guardians emerge as a peacekeeping force, said NetEase art director Alex Yan in the developer video. That roughly occurs after the Dark Ages of the Destiny timeline, though we'll see how it diverges from the existing Destiny timeline. Developers specifically mentioned Iron Lords and Warlords, who are the regional powers lingering in that period before the newly formed Guardians get them in line. Player-resurrecting Ghosts and near-magical Light abilities will still be in the game.
As Destiny: Rising is set in an earlier age, players won't have the rigid guidelines of the Guardians -- this is a time before the hunter, titan and warlock classes. Players will pick between specific prebuilt characters instead, each with their own playstyle and backstory. But some familiar faces will return.
Destiny: Rising will have missions, strikes and six-player PvE activities inherited from Destiny 2, as well as unspecified new gameplay modes. It will feature new weapons as well as returning favorites -- Sweet Business was briefly shown in the developer video, but this concept art for available weapons shows what look like the Huckleberry and Monte Carlo exotic weapons alongside a new crossbow weapon type. There's also a new rarity above exotic, called mythic.
The Destiny: Rising team is "still quite early in our development phase" for the game, though they noted that the trailers all showed current in-game footage. Aside from the closed alpha playtest coming next month, it's unclear what the timeline for release is or when players will be able to get their hands on the game next.Â