http://imgur.com/RV0JxQI
http://www.forbes.com/sites/insertcoin/2015/06/24/destiny-announces-ill-timed-red-bull-exclusive-quest-for-the-taken-king/
In what could be the worst timed announcement ever, in a week filled with controversy for Bungie and Destiny, Activision has unveiled a partnership with Red Bull that gives energy drink-consumers bonus XP and an exclusive mission in the upcoming expansion, The Taken King.
The fact that some sort of Destiny deal was in place with Red Bull was leaked a good long while ago, and it was actually one of the first places where fans heard the phrase “The Taken King” uttered. But the specifics of what the deal would contain were unknown, and needless to say fans are not receiving the concept of a “Red Bull exclusive quest” well.
This would have likely generated controversy on its own, but this comes during a week where Destiny players are already incensed by what they perceive as an insulting interview by The Taken King lead designer Luke Smith with Eurogamer. In it, he glossed over the fact that the UK version of the DLC cost as much as the base game, despite having less content, and more pressingly, he seemed to revel in the fact that players were willing to spend $80 on a Collector’s Edition of the game to get new emotes, class items and shaders exclusive to the bundle, and reinforced that there was currently no other way to get them.
“It’s about value,” he said. “The player’s assessment of the value of the content.”
That entire interview (worth a read) set off a firestorm the likes of which Destiny hasn’t seen since launch, and now this Red Bull news is adding insult to injury for many fans who are already on the fence about buying the upcoming pricey DLC this fall.
It doesn’t help that the accompanying press release almost reads like an Onion-level parody of branding-deals-gone-wrong in video gaming:
“Whether a player is new to Destiny or with us since launch, the special quest promotion will help give them the ‘wings’ and experience boost to take on The Taken King.”
Yeesh.
“I’m really excited to be a part of this partnership,” said Michael “Flamesword” Chaves, Red Bull eSport athlete. “I love that Red Bull and Destiny have a shared sense of adventure, camaraderie, and pushing boundaries that both brands embody.”
Ugh.
The exact details of the Red Bull partnership are that codes from specially branded cans will unlock Focused Light, a consumable that gives a 50% XP boost for 30 minutes (where multiple can be redeemed). There is no specific information on the exclusive mission other than it’s “multi-stage” and will “test the speed and strategic abilities of Destiny players in new ways.”
The one bit of good news in all of this is that we know that the Red Bull quest is at least a timed exclusive mission. And not for a year, like we see with PlayStation-only content. Rather, after the expansion (and this mission) debut in September, by January, it won’t need an unlock code anymore.
If I had to guess, whatever the mission is will be relatively short and meaningless. Maybe even a minigame of sorts if they don’t include any actual story content in it. This is also far from the first time a consumer product has been packaged with an unlock code for content in a game (though an entire mission is certainly pushing the bounds of good taste). But all of this is no comfort to fans who see this deal as yet another slight in a long line of missteps by Bungie trying to exploit Destiny and its playerbase in new and creative ways. This announcement could not have come at a worse time, and I’m amazed they went ahead with it today instead of delaying it a few weeks after all the anger about this interview died down.
Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that the Bungie Weekly Update is scheduled to be released today, and with it, community manager Deej has promised a “reward” for veteran players that is meant to be cooler than anything those who buy the Collector’s Edition will get. If you played the game during year one, Bungie is cooking up some sort of prize to honor your loyalty, supposedly. Perhaps by stacking two controversies in one week ahead of this announcement, they’re looking to put out two fires at once if fans are satisfied with what’s announced today.
At this point, I think it’s going to have to be one hell of a grand gesture to get the Destiny community to calm down. In a game that thrives on controversy and complaints, I’ve genuinely never seen fans this upset and united about a single issue before. We’ll see later today how Bungie responds.
Free Red Bull for everyone?
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8 RepliesPeople get their panties in a twist over nothing these days. Who gives a shit? Buy some Red Bull and get the promotional code. Or not. Or post about it all day? That works too.
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Zero art. All business and selling out.
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Edited by CrazyCadder: 6/24/2015 7:39:23 PMI can't drink Redbull, unless I want to go to the emergency room with atrial fibrillation. Do you see me bitching and whining? No. GET OVER YOUR ENTITLED SELF! Will I still buy redbull to get the content early? Yes, despite the fact that I'll still get the content in January. I'll just send the drinks with my wife, to give to her coworkers.
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Would rather drink battery acid than that shite lol.
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3 RepliesDo you people think and process something before you go off on tangents? This Red Bull thing is nothing to be upset with. It's some random "extreme" themed instance that will be available to everyone after an allotted time whether you buy the promotional product or not. It's promotional fluff to get people interested in the game, it's not like they're locking cannon content unless you buy the promotional product. It's not like people replay missions once they've experienced them if they don't have a bounty related to it. Please don't tell me you're salty over an exp boost.
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1 ReplyEdited by Tamed: 6/24/2015 4:01:02 PMIt becomes available for all on the 1st of January without the need to buy redbull so idc.
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Who the hell cares? This, again, is not a new concept in the industry.
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Why are people saying a whole case it's only a 4 pack lol
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Edited by Solid_XV: 6/24/2015 4:18:12 PMRed bull paid. So they have a timed exclusive. Happens everyone needs to stop thinking that everyone is entitled to everything. This is new content no one has paid for yet like the TTK. So all this stuff they are doing is up to them. If you don't like it don't buy it or continue to play. Simple. On jan 1st everyone gets it free.
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2 RepliesWait...were complaining about this now too? Better jump on the wagon
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1 ReplyThe Red Bull themed mission will be against a mob of caffeine-hyped, sleep-deprived adds with bad teeth on a sugar-rush Sounds a bit like running the abyss on Crota
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1 ReplyWHO CARESSSSSS WHO CARES WHO CARESSSSSS. F***CKKKKKKK sakessssssssssssssssss everyone is such a whiny dbag this week WHO CARESSSSSSSSS!!!!!
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1 ReplyHalo does this...... CoD does this and countless other games
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Who cares??? Go buy a $2 redbull if you want to play, if you don't want to play don't buy it
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1 ReplyIn before someone has an overdose on redbull and blames bungie
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I love redbull
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Red Bull Gives you wings (Oryx flys)
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Yep, I can't help but feel this is all Activision's fault but time will tell... This could also be an example of the work High Moon Studios is doing for Destiny. I can't believe anyone at Bungie would be happy to put blood sweat and tears into levels which only a select number of people will play. Unless Bungie have A and B teams etc.
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7 RepliesWith a lot of the Taken enimies brandishing wings of some sort, it wouldn't surprise me if guardians got their own pair of wings. At least for that Red Bull mission, anyway. Regardless, I'm not mad about this. Halo has been doing this with Mtn Dew and Doritos for years.
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1 ReplyThis reminds me of cracker jack box toys. If your friends could afford the box, they got the prize. If you couldn't, you didn't. If you didn't think the prize was worth the cost of the box, you didn't spend your money. That's how I view all this. I'm not upset by it nor hold it against Bungie/Activision.
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I love Red Bull, so its a win for me! COD has done this with Mountain Dew for years and its hugely successful.
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1 ReplyI mean, it's only exclusive til 1/1/2015 and probably only gives you an emote that makes your guardian throw money at the screen
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1 ReplyWhile I am not crazy about the pricing packages that have been announced, I see this as an excuse for me to pick up some Yagermister to go with my Redbull!
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4 RepliesYou good. I love energy drinks, but I'm more of a monster kind of guy. I'll buy the red bull am one for my buddy since he is in canada.
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So... is it too late to cry about Mt. Dew codes getting double xp in Halo a decade ago? /waits to see what the bitchfest is tomorrow.
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Edited by Mouth: 6/24/2015 3:37:20 PMBut, red bull gives you wings.. I would like wings