This week at Bungie, we went on the record about our plans for the third year of Destiny 2.
It takes a big team of talented people to make a game that truly feels alive. You can see a bunch of those team members, either hard at work or talking about our goals, in the newest Bungie ViDoc. If you missed this invitation into our studio, give it a watch now. Or give it a watch again.
Shadowkeep is just the beginning—and it begins in under two weeks!
They’re Not Belts
On Saturday, October 5, Guardians will venture into a new raid: Garden of Salvation. Many of you have been to the Black Garden before, but don’t be fooled—an entirely new challenge awaits you.
Contest mode will be active for the first 24 hours, similar to the Crown of Sorrow World First competition. While Contest is active, players will face an enforced challenge throughout the raid. Power beyond certain levels will provide no additional advantage for a given fight (e.g., for the first fight, Power above 890 doesn’t provide an advantage, and for the final fight, Power above 920 doesn’t provide an advantage).
After the 24-hour period ends, we will disable Contest mode, and players can take full advantage of their higher Power to overcome the raid’s challenges.
As always, we will be watching as fireteams race to claim the prestige of being World First to complete the raid. Their prize, besides bragging rights of course, will be this custom-made Garden of Salvation World First Belt.
The Big Show pointed out during our World First ceremony at GuardianCon (now known as GCX) this year, that they are not belts; they are titles. But since we have “titles” in the game we are going to keep calling them belts. Sorry Big Show.
You can read the full rules here. The gist is: Only the final six players of the winning fireteam to finish the activity will receive a belt. The first fireteam to complete the raid and return to orbit will be declared the winner. Unlike in previous raids, the winning team won’t receive an Exotic drop from the final encounter, so don’t rely on your loot stream to determine whether you may have won. We’ll check our data before crowning the official winners from @Bungie.
If you are not first, you don’t have to be last. All Guardians who complete the raid within the first 24 hours will be able to show off this exclusive emblem.
We also have this emblem available to anyone who completes the raid at their leisure.
Stay tuned as we reveal more Bungie Rewards in Season of the Undying!
Applied Science
There has been an annoying bug in the UI where you would try to apply something like a shader or a mod and nothing would happen. The bar would fill up, but the desired action would not be applied. Sometimes it would fail multiple times. You could feel your blood pressure rise with each futile attempt. Back in update 2.5.0, we issued a fix for this issue. And it worked… kind of. But any fix that doesn’t completely solve the problem is no fix it all. So we went back to work. We have a fix that should squash this bug for good coming up with Shadowkeep on October 1. Here is the Destiny Dev Team to give you some behind-the-scenes info on what was going on with the apply button and what we are doing to fix it.
Destiny Dev Team: The inconsistency of the apply button stems from overly aggressive safety features designed to protect your character from accidental UI interactions.
The first safety feature was cursor movement detection. If we noticed any amount of cursor movement while the apply button was held, we’d cancel the action to prevent you from accidently applying your action to the wrong item. Because it is fairly easy to experience a small amount of mouse movement while clicking a mouse button, this restriction impacted PC players much more than console players. We removed the cursor movement detection in 2.5.0. Now we only check to see if the cursor has moved off the item.
The second safety feature is a bit more complicated. Let’s say you’re applying a mod. While you’re holding down the button, a new mod shows up in your inventory at the start of the list, and shifts all the other mods displayed in the UI over one slot. The cursor is now hovering over a different mod, but the cursor hasn’t moved. In this kind of situation, we want to make absolutely sure that we don’t insert the wrong mod because that action can’t be undone. To protect against this, we cancel the action if we detect any change to your character page. This is problematic because there are a myriad of stats we track and countless things happening around you that can cause a number on your character page to change. Even if you’re sitting in orbit, getting a clan XP notification is enough to cancel the apply button.
While the protection described above serves as a good general safety net, it has clearly reached its limits. In 2.6.0, our plan is to tweak this protection. When we detect an update to your character page, we will check if the cursor is still hovering over the same item. If the cursor is still over the same item, we won’t cancel the action.
Preparing for Launch
As we go over our final checklists before launch, player support will be acting as your ground control. If your mission to the moon experiences any unexpected issues, let them know on the help forum and they’ll get the right people working the problem. Remember to read the gauge before you stir the tanks.
This is their report.
Update 2.6.0 Deployment and PC Migration
This week, we’d like to begin setting expectations on what the Shadowkeeplaunch experience will be for existing PC players on October 1.
On October 1, prior to the official launch of Shadowkeep, Destiny 2 will be taken offline for maintenance on all platforms. During this maintenance window, PC players who have linked their Steam accounts to their Bungie.net profile will automatically have their Guardians and Silver transferred from Battle.net to Steam.
Once maintenance concludes and Shadowkeep has officially launched, PC players who’ve undergone Steam linking will be able to launch Destiny 2 on Steam and immediately access their Guardians and Silver. However, migrated PC players should be aware that there will be a delay in the transfer of their Destiny 2: Forsaken licenses from Battle.net to Steam.
After the launch of Shadowkeep, Forsaken license transfers for Steam-linked PC players will continue in the background until they are complete. While that work is underway, PC players can access all Destiny 2 content not reliant on a Forsaken license, as well as new Shadowkeep content if owned on Steam. And of course, all New Light content will be available to all players, for free.
Examples of Forsaken content that will not be available to migrated PC players during this window:
Forsaken campaign missions
Forsaken quest content
The Last Wish raid
The Shattered Throne dungeon
Examples of Forsaken activities that will be available to players immediately, since they will be bundled in with New Light:
Gambit playlist activities
Forsaken strikes in strike playlist activities
Forsaken maps in Crucible playlist activities
Patrols on the Tangled Shore destination
Patrols on the Dreaming City destination
For information on maintenance times when they become available, players should follow @BungieHelp on Twitter or monitor our support feed on help.bungie.net.
Battle.net Code Redemption for Destiny 2
Another item of housekeeping as we transition from Battle.net to Steam is about the redemption of Destiny 2 codes for Battle.net.
Players should be aware that any Battle.net code they possess for Destiny 2 content MUST be redeemed on their Battle.net account before they perform PC Migration. Players who have already prepared for PC Migration have until the start of Destiny 2 maintenance on October 1 to redeem any unused Battle.net codes – to have that license transfer to their Steam account.
Players who migrate to Steam after our October 1 maintenance must also ensure that their Battle.net code is redeemed before they link their Steam account. Once a Steam account is linked, their Guardians, Silver, and game licenses will be automatically migrated from Battle.net to Steam. This is a one-time process that cannot be repeated for new licenses. For information on Battle.net code redemption, players should visit Blizzard’s How to Claim a Code knowledgebase article.
It’s worth noting that all content which was previously included in the base Destiny 2 game, Curse of Osiris, or Warmind, will be available to all players for free through the launch of Destiny 2: New Light on October 1.
REMINDER: Steam Linking and PC Migration
Once again, we’d like to remind PC players to link their Steam accounts to their Bungie.net profile in preparation for our migration to Steam on October 1.
From October 1 onward, any existing PC player who links a Steam account to their Bungie.net profile will automatically be migrated forward to the Steam ecosystem.
To prevent the unintentional loss of Guardians, game licenses, and Silver, it is imperative that all PC players make sure they are linking their correct Steam AND Battle.net accounts to their Bungie.net profile.
REMINDER: Destiny 2 and Silver Purchases on Battle.net
We’d also like to remind PC players that Destiny 2 game content and Destiny 2 Silver can no longer be purchased from the Battle.net shop.
Existing PC players can continue to play on Battle.net until Destiny 2 migrates to Steam on October 1. At that time, new players are also welcome to jump in with the launches of New Light and Shadowkeep.
Additionally, every existing PC player should be aware that in order for recent Silver purchases to successfully transfer to Steam, players MUST log in to Destiny 2 on Battle.net before October 1 to claim their purchased Silver.
Existing Campaign Progress and New Light
Lastly, this week we’d like to make players aware of how New Light will impact their existing progress for the Red War, Curse of Osiris, Warmind, and Forsaken campaigns.
On October 1, after Destiny 2 Update 2.6.0 rolls out, players who have not completed any of the above Destiny 2 campaigns will have progress toward that campaign reset. For example: any player who has not completed the Forsaken campaign will have to restart that campaign after 2.6.0 maintenance on October 1.
It’s worth noting, however, that most endgame activities will generally be available to players as soon as they unlock their corresponding destinations. This is as a part of the accelerated player progression that will be introduced with New Light on October 1.
Silence You Phones
Once again we honor creative players in our community with a little something called Movie of the Week. This is where we pick our favorite community-made videos and award their creators with a special emblem.
Movie of the Week: Oh Listener Mine
Honorable Mention: Jotunn for Real
It’s good to be back. I’ve kept an eye on things, checking in on the community during late-night feedings, but it’s nice to finally be back in the studio where it happens. Just in time too, as Dmg required a jumpstart to get his ticker ticking correctly. Send him some love as he rests up.
Shadowkeep is just around the corner. Next week will be the final TWAB before we let you loose on the Moon. From there, things escalate quickly with the raid and a full calendar of content going live throughout the Season of the Undying. See you soon on the Moon.
Today we are announcing that we have made the difficult decision to transition the Minecraft Forum from an active website to a read-only archive. This decision has been made after careful consideration about how we can best serve the Minecraft community with the resources we have available. A read-only archive of the website will ensure that the valuable content contributed over many years is safe-guarded, remaining available for visitors to explore.
From everyone at the Minecraft Forum we are deeply grateful for our communities contributions to the forum over the last decade, big and small. Millions of members have shared tens of millions of posts that have been viewed billions of times, and everyone contributed something to make this forum great. Minecraft Mod creators helped expand the world of Minecraft, support volunteers worked tirelessly to provide access to that world and everyone together turned that world into a community.
Read only mode will be enabled on June 16th, 2019. From this date you will no longer be able to login to the Minecraft Forum and no new content will be created, however all links to the Minecraft Forum will continue to work as-is, all content will remain accessible. This change does not impact the Minecraft Wiki. The Minecraft Wiki will continue as an active website, we have no plans to archive the Minecraft Wiki.
We appreciate that this is a big change and that there will be many questions. I am available in the comments of this news post to answer any questions you may have, and you are welcome to reach out via Private Message if you have any questions you would like to ask privately.
Please use the comments as an opportunity to share your story about what this community has meant to you. We would love to hear about how the forum has impacted you, whether it inspired a passion for creating, helped build friendships or simply provided you somewhere to share your love of the game — any thoughts you may have are welcome.
Overwatch League™ Opening Week Draws More Than 10 Million Viewers
Newly announced Twitch distribution deal drives an average audience per minute of 408,000 for the opening day broadcast
IRVINE, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– The Overwatch League roared to life last week at the Blizzard Arena Los Angeles, with four days of intense competition between all 12 teams of the world’s first major global city-based professional esports league.
Buoyed by a newly announced two-year deal with Twitch, the Overwatch League’s exclusive worldwide[1] third-party digital broadcast partner, opening day drew an impressive average audience per minute of 408,000, and 280,000 for the week. More than 10 million viewers tuned in over the four-day period via Twitch, MLG, and Chinese streaming partners ZhanQi TV, NetEase CC, and Panda TV—not to mention the countless additional viewers at watch parties worldwide. On Twitch and MLG alone, the peak concurrent online audience of 437,000 hit during the highly anticipated day-one matchup between Dallas Fuel and Seoul Dynasty. In addition, tickets to Blizzard Arena Los Angeles were sold out for the entirety of opening week.
“We’re thrilled by the overwhelming response to the Overwatch League’s opening week of play,” said Pete Vlastelica, president and CEO of Major League Gaming (MLG). “But this is only the beginning. With more than 35 million Overwatch® players, the Overwatch League has the potential to become one of the most-watched leagues—of any kind—in the world.”
“Since we announced Overwatch League at BlizzCon 2016, we’ve been eagerly awaiting the day when the global competitive Overwatch community could come together under one banner,” said Nate Nanzer, Overwatch League commissioner. “Opening week was that coming-out party—for the fans, both in-person at Blizzard Arena Los Angeles and tuned in by the millions all over the world, and for the players, whose love for the game came through crystal clear.”
“We had high expectations for the inaugural broadcast of the Overwatch League on Twitch, given our platform’s passionate fanbase for Overwatch,” said Kevin Lin, COO of Twitch. “They really put on an amazing show and fans showed up en masse to support and celebrate Overwatch. Based on the response from the community, Overwatch League is off to a great start and we look forward to watching how the season progresses. This league demonstrates the power and potential of esports, and we’re thrilled to continue expanding our partnership with Blizzard.”
Viewers can tune in to catch all the action on Twitch, www.mlg.com, the MLG app (on iOS and Android), www.overwatchleague.com, and the Overwatch League app, which launched last week for iOS and Android. Blizzard gamers also can get easy access to the Overwatch League via a new Overwatch League tab in the Blizzard Battle.net desktop app.
The first season of the Overwatch League runs until June, with playoffs and finals scheduled for July. For the inaugural season, all regular-season games will take place at Blizzard Arena Los Angeles, a state-of-the-art live-event venue in Burbank, California, custom-renovated for Blizzard Entertainment esports events. Fans can purchase tickets to attend matches, which will be played each Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. A full schedule and information about ticket sales can be found at www.overwatchleague.com.
About the Overwatch League™
The Overwatch League™ is the first major global professional esports league with city-based teams across Asia, Europe, and North America. Overwatch® was created by globally acclaimed publisher Blizzard Entertainment (a division of Activision Blizzard—Nasdaq: ATVI), whose iconic franchises have helped lay the foundations and push the boundaries of professional esports over the last 15 years. The latest addition to Blizzard’s stable of twenty-one #1 games,[2] Overwatch was built from the ground up for online competition, with memorable characters and fast-paced action designed for the most engaging gameplay and spectator experiences. To learn more about the Overwatch League, visit www.overwatchleague.com.
[1] Not including China. [2] Sales and/or downloads, based on internal company records and reports from key distribution partners
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-looking Statements: Information in this press release that involves Blizzard Entertainment’s expectations, plans, intentions or strategies regarding the future, including statements about the dates, events and features of the Overwatch League, are forward-looking statements that are not facts and involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Factors that could cause Blizzard Entertainment’s actual future results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements set forth in this release include unanticipated product delays and other factors identified in the risk factors sections of Activision Blizzard’s most recent annual report on Form 10-K and any subsequent quarterly reports on Form 10-Q. The forward-looking statements in this release are based upon information available to Blizzard Entertainment and Activision Blizzard as of the date of this release, and neither Blizzard Entertainment nor Activision Blizzard assumes any obligation to update any such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements believed to be true when made may ultimately prove to be incorrect. These statements are not guarantees of the future performance of Blizzard Entertainment or Activision Blizzard and are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors, some of which are beyond its control and may cause actual results to differ materially from current expectations.
Post-war Norway was quite a ride over the last months. As Vigor went free-to-play during the gamescom announcement, new Outlanders started to flow in. We are humbled by the number of players who decided to give Vigor a try. There were already over 2.5 million players who tried Vigor since the start of Xbox Game Preview, which means over 1.3 million players jumped in within the first month after the full release. The numbers far exceeded our expectations and, sincerely, we were not prepared enough for it. Finally, we recovered, and now plan to update the game more on a regular basis. We took our time to find and fix the most pressing issues (so called “ghost bullets” and impenetrable bushes, for example), as well as adding one big thing we were working on for a long time.
New Map
Brodalen Bridges. A new area for your encounters – a huge map with new approaches to verticality. If you considered Fjellkanten vertical, wait for the bridges on the new map. I cannot count how many times someone tried to snipe me from the top, or how many times I was doing the same during our playtests. Still, keep in mind bridges aren’t the only thing about the new map. It’s a distinctive setting with rural areas for long-range firefights, combined with eerie woods and sparse houses providing some close quarters engagements. It’s the valley along the meandering river with waterfalls and hidden caverns. And indeed, it has a ton of places to gather precious loot and fight for the airdrop.
Loot Rebalance
As I mentioned the loot… there’s more to loot than meets the eye. We went through all the maps and made them more distinguishable in terms of which resources you are able to find in each location. Common sense dictates there’s more wires along the Viktorsen Station, or possibly more fertilizer on the fields of Brodalen Bridges, and that common sense should be reflected even more than before. Together with that, we decided to make loot boosts even more pronounced to clearly show the difference. As the boosters stack, the amount of loot spots, and items in each of them, increase even more than before.
Buried Cache
If you’d prefer to look for some hidden treasure while on the loot run, we have you covered. There’s a new event in all the maps – we call it a Buried Cache. For this, you can find photos with clues around the map, and if you’re able to recognize and find the destination fast enough, a nice reward awaits you hidden underground. Keep in mind that while you may be the only one looking for the cache, other Outlanders could still be wandering the area. Stay alert and you’ll get a nice prize.
Weight Influence
You may have noticed that sprinting is rather easy in Vigor. No matter how much you carry, the Outlander is able to sprint easily. This is no longer true as the weight of your inventory reduces your available stamina. Thinking of outrunning others while taking the airdrop crate? Keep in mind that the crate is one of the heaviest items. And stamina isn’t the only thing affected by weight, as your footsteps will now be louder when you’re carrying a lot. On the other hand, we’ve made some quality of life improvements – interacting with loot, Shelter improvements, and various other things like using doors and ladders should be more intuitive than ever before. You don’t need to bow down to collect things on the floor anymore and there should not be cases where you need to be at a specific angle.
Threat and Team Killer distinction
We keep looking for your feedback, checking your streams and videos on various channels. One of the pressing issues, and often exploited features, was becoming a Threat after killing your teammate. We decided to make a proper distinction between these and added a Team Killer status. It clearly shows others what cruel deeds someone has done, and tracks the Outlander a lot more often compared to the Threat. Also, killing your teammates for challenges will no longer count, which should also help to severely limit this form of grieving. We are still vigilant about team killings and observe our data on the subject on a daily basis. The same goes for any other feedback – we are really happy for all of the posts and comments and we plan to evaluate them even more often from now on.
Game Updates
That leads me to other news – we have a solid plan for regular game updates. We would like to provide something new to the game ideally on a weekly basis; mostly new customizations. You can check the Featured Store every Wednesday for something new and we are yet to announce the new ways of showing new content. Not only that, we would even like to add more weapons along the way to provide more things you can aim for. And generally, while these minor updates should spice up the waiting, we aim to have a major update roughly every two months, the same as we did with Update 1.1: Bridges. Each of these major updates should provide a ton of tweaks and improvements accompanied with some bigger new feature.
