Bungie, the renowned video game studio behind Destiny 2 and the upcoming reboot of Marathon, may have its third new IP, codenamed Matter, closer to release than previously thought. While details about this mysterious project have been scarce in 2023, recent reports suggest that it may arrive sooner than expected. However, this information has not been directly confirmed by Bungie but has emerged as part of the ongoing legal litigation surrounding Microsoft’s proposed acquisition of Activision Blizzard.
As Destiny 2 continues with its current season, Season of the Deep, players witness the return of Titan to the Sol System after its disappearance during the Beyond Light expansion in 2020. Deputy Commander Sloane calls upon Guardians to protect a creature residing beneath the methane waves, which holds valuable information about The Witness. Meanwhile, the Hive god Xivu Arath and her forces pose a threat to Sloane’s plans.
Despite the ongoing support for Destiny 2 and the development of the Marathon reboot, leaked documents from Microsoft’s Federal Trade Commission (FTC) hearings suggest that Matter could potentially launch in 2025. The hearing documents include an evaluation of Bungie conducted by Microsoft in 2021, outlining the studio’s expansion plans and game support strategies. The evaluation notes that Bungie had significantly expanded its headquarters and was set to establish an international office in Amsterdam in 2022, primarily focused on Destiny 2 support and the development of Matter.
This internal evaluation by Microsoft aligns with previous reports indicating the tech giant’s interest in acquiring Bungie, along with Sega, in 2020. At that time, Bungie was known to be working on the new IP, Matter, and had received a $100 million investment from the Chinese tech company NetEase specifically for this project. However, updates on Matter have been infrequent since then, although it has been confirmed that the Marathon reboot is an entirely separate endeavor from the studio’s third IP.
Since the evaluation, Bungie has undergone significant changes on the business front. The studio is no longer independent, as Sony successfully acquired it for approximately $3.6 billion in July 2022, joining the ranks of Sony’s first-party studios, which include Sucker Punch and Insomniac. It remains to be seen if the projected 2025 release window mentioned in the 2021 evaluation still holds true or if the launch of Bungie’s third IP might be further delayed.
As fans eagerly anticipate more information about Matter, they can only speculate about its potential release date and what innovative experiences Bungie has in store for them.
