Destiny is an online first-person shooter video game developed by Bungie. It was released worldwide on September 9, 2014, for the PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One consoles. Destiny marked Bungie's first new console franchise since the Halo series, and it was the first game in a ten-year agreement between Bungie and Activision. Set in a "mythological science fiction" world, the game features a multiplayer "shared-world" environment with elements of role-playing games. Activities in Destiny are divided among player versus environment (PvE) and player versus player (PvP) game types. In addition to normal story missions, PvE features three-player "strikes" and six-player raids. A free roam patrol mode is also available for each destination which feature public events. PvP features objective-based modes, as well as traditional deathmatch game modes.
Players take on the role of a Guardian, protectors of Earth's last safe city as they wield a power called Light to protect the city from different alien races. Guardians are tasked with reviving a celestial being called the Traveler, while journeying to different planets to investigate and destroy the alien threats before humanity is completely wiped out. Bungie released four expansion packs, furthering the story, and adding new content, missions, and new PvP modes. Year One of Destiny featured two small expansions, The Dark Below in December 2014 and House of Wolves in May 2015. A third, larger expansion, The Taken King, was released in September 2015 and marked the beginning of Year Two, changing much of the core gameplay. The base game and the first three expansions were packaged into Destiny: The Taken King Legendary Edition. Another large expansion called Rise of Iron was released in September 2016. The base game and all four expansions were packaged into Destiny: The Collection.
The game was originally published by Activision, though Bungie now self-publishes the game after separating from Activision in 2019. Upon its release, Destiny received generally positive reviews, with praise for its gameplay, graphics, and for maintaining lineage from the Halo franchise, particularly in regard to its competitive experiences. Criticism centered mostly around the game's storyline, post-campaign content, and emphasis on grinding. It sold over US$325 million at retail in its first five days, making it the biggest new franchise launch of all time. It is often cited as a pioneer of the live-service genre. It was GamesRadar's 2014 Game of the Year and it received the BAFTA Award for Best Game at the 2014 British Academy Video Games Awards. A sequel, Destiny 2, released in September 2017.
