Bungie præsenterer Destiny

Bungie gav os i sin tid Halo, som viste sig at blive en enorm succes på den originale Xbox. Det var blandt andet på grund af Halo, at jeg købte en Xbox til at starte med! Efter en række succesfulde spil i serien, hvis man da ser bort fra Halo: ODST, som der hersker en del delte meninger om, gik udviklingen af spilserien imidlertid over til et nyt studie: 343 Industries som gav os Halo 4 sidste år.

Bungie har ikke ligget på den lade side, og efterhånden er der dukket en del rygter frem og informationer om deres seneste projekt: Destiny. Spillet bliver, efter alt at dømme, endnu en sci-fi-shooter, som forhåbentligt vil adskille sig selv fra Halo, men Bungie er ikke kendt for at skuffe sin fanbase. I en tid hvor nye IP'er ikke ligefrem klarer sig overvældende godt, eksempelvis Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning (som du bør købe og spille allerede i dag), bliver det interessant at se, om Bungie kan overleve fødslen af Destiny.

Ved dette års GDC (Game Developer's Conference) vil studiet præsentere Destiny, hvor de forhåbentligt vil afsløre langt flere informationer om spillet. Præsentationen hedder "Brave New World: New Bungie IP", og du kan læse mere om den her.

English version:

Bungie gave us Halo a while back which turned out to be an enormous success on the original Xbox. It was  actually because of Halo I bought the console! After a series of successful games, despite the black sheep being Halo: ODST which people can't seem to agree on, the development of the series went to a new studio: 343 Industries who gave us Halo 4 last year.

Bungie, however, has not been sleeping while their franchise went to a different studio. In fact, there have been many rumors, speculations and leaks about their latest project: Destiny. The game is a Sci-Fi shooter which hopefully will set itself apart from Halo. In a time where new IP's don't exactly fare well (the example of this being the tragic fate of Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning and 38 Studios. A game you actually need to play.) it'll be interesting to see, if Bungie can survive the birth of Destiny.

The studio is planning on giving a lecture at this year's GDC (Game Developer's Conference) where they'll be spending a great deal of time talking about Destiny. The lecture is called "Brave New World: New Bungie IP" and you can read more about it here.

Halo 4 og kønsdiskrimination

Microsofts flagskib, Halo, har netop fået udgivet det længeventede og ganske omdiskuterede Halo 4. Udviklingen af spillet er gået fra Bungie til det nyligt oprettet 343 Industries, og med spillet ønsker folkene bag at skabe en ny og krystalklar tone over for kønsdiskrimination: Permanent bandlysning fra både Halo 4 og Xbox Live.

Bonnie Ross, General Manager hos 343 Industries, siger følgende i et interview med Gamespot:

"Most people look at a franchise like Halo, and automatically assume it's run by a guy. People are surprised to learn that it's a woman who's running the Halo 4 show. When Microsoft created 343 Industries to take over Halo, I was given first choice to run the studio because I had proven myself. My gender played no part in it."

Personligt er jeg begejstret for dette skridt. Jeg kender en række piger, som også er gamere men mere end det: De er dygtige gamere med hjertet på rette sted. Og fra tid til anden er de såmænd også bedre end mig! Det skal de ikke hades for. Det skal ingen hades for! For mig er det forfriskende at se, hvordan den traditionelle drengeklub er blevet et sted for alle - uanset køn. Men nogle drenge er naturligvis ikke modne nok til at ville dele denne farverige verden med "det svage køn", og når tonen så bliver grov, kan de således se frem til at blive bandlyst. Og tro mig: Tonen bliver grov, har jeg både set og ladet mig fortælle. Det er fuldstændigt uacceptabelt, hvordan piger nogle gange føler, at de må skjule deres køn. Jeg og mange andre har imidlertid en anden indstilling til det og ønsker alle, både piger og drenge, velkommen i klubben. Gaming er alles ret!

English version:

The flagship of Microsoft, Halo, has finally come upon us with its "fourth" and both anticipated and much debated release: Halo 4. The development of the franchise has gone from Bungie to the newly formed 343 Industries, and with the game the people behind it want to make a crystal clear statement regarding sex discrimination: a lifetime ban from both Halo 4 and Xbox Live.

Bonnie Ross, a General Manager at 343 Industries, said the following an interview with Gamespot:

"Most people look at a franchise like Halo, and automatically assume it's run by a guy. People are surprised to learn that it's a woman who's running the Halo 4 show. When Microsoft created 343 Industries to take over Halo, I was given first choice to run the studio because I had proven myself. My gender played no part in it."

On a personal note I'm very pleased to hear about this. I know quite a few female gamers who are very skilled and passionate about gaming. But more than that, they're also at times better than me. They shouldn't be hated for that. No one should, in fact! It's refreshing to see how the tradional "boys club" has become a place for everyone - no matter the sex. But some boys are just too immature and don't want to share this colourful world of gaming, and when the tone gets nasty they can now look forward to a lifetime ban. At least in Halo 4. And believe you me: it does get nasty at times. It's completely unacceptable that some girls actually have to hide their sex to avoid discrimination. I and many, many others, however, have a different approach and want to bid everyone welcome. Gaming is everyone's right!