I wrote this for all the new members to Bungie.net or old members who have left so that they can catch up easily. I planned to post this immediately after bungie.next was released, however there were some complications and I was unable to post it. [b][DISCLAIMER: PLEASE REPLY TO THE LAST POST MADE BY ME IF YOU WISH TO POST IN THIS THREAD][/b] I will order the posts so that you will be able to read them properly. Should more people post in this thread it might become impossible to organise it and I will have to move this to a Google Doc. So please follow my instructions above. I will continue to update it as more information is released. Please bear with me as this is my first time writing something so extensive and I am still trying to understand how to use the new site. Feedback and criticism of certain parts is very very welcome. Pour yourself a cup of coffee and fasten your seatbelts. Without further ado... Ladies and gentlemen, I present you Everything You Need To Know About Destiny: ************************************************************* Part One [b]July 20, 2009 [/b] The “Destiny” trademark is registered by Podophobia Entertainment, Inc. It is described as “Computer game software; Computer game software downloadable from a global computer network; Video game software; Virtual reality game software”. [1] [url]http://www.trademarkia.com/destiny-77784606.html[/url] [b]July 30, 2009 [/b] The trademark for “Be Brave” is registered, again by Podophobia Entertainment, Inc. The company consists of only two Bungie employees – Martin O’Donnell and Harold Ryan. This led to fan speculation that it is a shell company by Bungie to subtly acquire intellectual property holdings. This was seemingly confirmed when both trademarks were transferred from Podophobia Entertainment to Bungie. [2] [url]http://www.trademarkia.com/be-brave-77793101.html[/url] [b]April 29, 2010 [/b] Bungie announces that it is entering a 10-year publishing agreement with publisher Activision Blizzard. Activision will have exclusive, worldwide rights to publish and distribute all future Bungie games based on the new intellectual property on multiple platforms and devices. Bungie remains an independent company and will continue to own their intellectual property. Additional terms of the agreement were not disclosed. “Today, we’re poised to open a new chapter in Bungie’s history—one that begins with a partnership between Bungie and Activision and ends where we always knew it would, with World Domination. Our Next Big Thing now has a concrete path, leading from our studio to the platforms of our choosing. The business formalities are behind us. Our Constitution remains unchanged. We are still Bungie, still independent, and now we are free to bring our stories to an ever bigger audience. [3] [url]http://www.bungie.net/news/content.aspx?cid=25920[/url] [b]July 27, 2010 [/b] Bungie acquires the following trademarks at the US copyright office: Seven Seraphs, Osiris, New Monarchy and Dead Orbit. Seven domains were registered with three out of four of these copyrights: >DeadOrbit.com >DeadOrbit.net >DeadOrbit.org >NewMonarchy.org >SevenSeraphs.com >SevenSeraphs.net >SevenSeraphs.org http://gematsu.com/2011/01/bungie-copyrights-possible-names-for-new-game [4] [b]February 17, 2011 [/b] An anonymous source claiming to have been let go by Bungie contacts Kotaku, and “suggested their latest game – named ‘Destiny’ and codenamed ‘Tiger’ – mixes FPS elements into an MMO with a Sci-Fi setting”. [url]http://www.kotaku.com.au/2011/02/breaking-bungies-destiny-is-an-fps-mmo-claims-fired-contractor/[/url] [5] [b]March 3, 2011 [/b] At GDC 2011, the lead network engineer at Bungie, David Aldridge, reveals that Bungie’s next game will be a “massively multiplayer action game”, while denying rumours that the game would be “WOW in space”. [6] [url]http://www.edge-online.com/features/gdc-2011-bungie-working-mmog/[/url] Later, Bungie clarifies in a Weekly Update that Mr Aldridge was merely joking, “playfully riffing off the recent rumors”. [7] [url]http://www.bungie.net/News/content.aspx?type=topnews&cid=30859[/url] [b]12 April 2011 [/b] Bungie forum member SonicJohn creates a thread and a 3D model of the map in the Bungie.net background. [url]http://www.bungie.net/Forums/posts.aspx?postID=68213981[/url] [8] [b]21 May, 2011 [/b] A judge in the Los Angeles Superior Court orders that the Bungie-Activision contract be unsealed. From the LA Times “The 27-page agreement calls for Bungie to develop four "sci-fantasy, action shooter games," code-named "Destiny," released every other year, beginning in the fall of 2013. Bungie also agreed to put out four downloadable expansion packs code-named "Comet," every other year beginning in the fall of 2014. Activision has never disclosed release plans for Bungie's titles. The first Destiny game will initially only be available on Microsoft's Xbox 360 consoles, as well as its potential successor, which the contract refers to as the "Xbox 720." Later games would be made for Xbox consoles as well as Sony Corp.'s expected successor to the PlayStation 3, and on personal computers. Bungie would be entitled to royalties ranging from 20% to 35% of "operating income," the amount left over after Activision deducts its costs, including development, production and marketing expenses. Under the contract, which may have been amended since it went into effect on April 16, 2010, Activision would also pay Bungie $2.5 million a year in bonuses between 2010 and 2013 if the Bellevue, Wash., studio meets certain quality and budget milestones. Bungie gets another $2.5 million if the first Destiny game achieves a score of 90 or better out of 100 on GameRankings.com, a site that summarizes reviews by game critics. The contract also reveals for the first time that Bungie is working on a potential successor to its Marathon game, which became a cult hit after it was published in 1994 for the Apple Mac. The document refers to Bungie's right to devote no more than 5% of its staff to develop an action-shooter prototype dubbed Marathon while Bungie remains under contract with Activision.” Some tidbits from the contract: >There are four games planned >The release target for Destiny #1 is Fall 2013 >The release targets for Destiny #2, #3 and #4 are 2015, 2017 and 2019 respectively >Major expansion code name is Comet >There are four planned major expansions >The release targets for Comet #2, #3 and #4 are 2016, 2018 and 2020 respectively >Comet may be released as DLC or retail discs >The genre for the game is sci-fi, action-shooter, which is massively-multiplayer-style >The target ESRB rating is Teen Destiny 1 is planned to be released as an Xbox 360 exclusive and its successor, the Xbox 720 a year later. Versions of games on other systems will follow one year after release on the Xbox 360 – Xbox successor, PS3 successor and PC versions of the Destiny games are targeted to be released in 2015, 2017 and 2019. [url]http://documents.latimes.com/bungie-activision-contract/[/url] [url]http://articles.latimes.com/2012/may/21/entertainment/la-et-ct-bungie-activision-contract-20120521[/url] [url]http://misriahsolutions.com/articles/waiting-for-destiny/2/[/url] [9] [b]7 July 2011 [/b] A new item, a “Bag O Swag” goes on sale on the Bungie Store. Seven bags contain one golden ticket each for a lucky fan. On the One Of Seven contest page on Bungie.net: “Bungie is having a One of Seven promotion. Each of the seven tickets entitles you to something extraordinary. On July 7th, 2012 and not a moment before, visit http://www.bungie.net/oneofseven to receive further instructions. Your ticket and the verification code contained therein are personal, one-of-a-kind, and not transferable. Do not reveal the hidden code beneath the scratch off before Bungie Day 2012. Do not share your ticket or code with anyone else. Failure to follow these instructions will render your ticket, and the promise that it holds, null and void.” [url]http://www.bungie.net/News/content.aspx?cid=31904[/url] [10] [b]27 August, 2011 [/b] Marty O’Donnell says “Be Brave” in his closing comments at Bungie’s panel at the Penny Arcade Expo, leading to speculation that this might be Bungie’s new tagline for “Destiny”. [11] [source not found]