Joe Blackburn, the current Game Director for Destiny 2, surprised everyone in the community by announcing his departure from Bungie. This announcement was made just months before the game's next big expansion is set to release.
End of an Era
Destiny 2's highly anticipated expansion, The Final Shape, won't be out until June 4. However, Joe Blackburn has dropped some big news recently, which undoubtedly shook the entire community.
Blackburn announced in a series of tweets that the game's upcoming expansion is ready for a more thorough playtesting starting next month. This "ritual" is special to him because it will serve as the "passing of the torch," indicating that he is stepping down as Game Director for Destiny 2.
The Game Director said that it has been an honor working for the company. "As a deeply invested Guardian before starting here at Bungie, getting to be a part of the Destiny 2 team has been the privilege of a lifetime," said Blackburn.
This is not the first time that Blackburn is departing from the company, though. In 2019, Blackburn left Bungie to work for Riot Games as the Principal Designer for League of Legends. However, Blackburn returned to Bungie 10 months later, stating that "it was time to come home."
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The Changing of the Guard
Now that Blackburn announced his eventual departure from Bungie, who is going to replace him? Well, Blackburn said that Tyson Green is going to take his place as the next Game Director for Destiny 2 once the End-to-End playtest begins next month.
For those who do not know, Tyson Green works at Bungie as the Senior Designer for Destiny 2. However, he is best known for his contributions to improving the PvP system in Halo, as well as the introduction of Exotic weapons in Destiny 1.
Salute to the King
The Destiny 2 community is saddened by the recent announcement. However, some players replied to Blackburn's X/Twitter thread to congratulate him for a job well done.
"Thank you, Joe! I appreciate everything you have done for this community and I can't wait [to] see what great things you create next," said user Knitehawk.
Another X/Twitter user thanked Blackburn as he served as their inspiration for pursuing a career in the gaming industry.
Do you play Destiny 2? If so, what are your thoughts about Joe Blackburn's recent announcement? Let us know in the comments!
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