Destiny's story was "substantially" altered before release

Bungie's much-hyped shooter Destinylaunched last year on a wave of advertising hype and a clamour of gamer interest. But as sales broke records, some critics asked, where was the deep, expansive story Bungie had boasted about before release? The answer to that question has appeared from a surprising source.

Over the past few months, composer and former Bungie employee Marty O'Donnell has been locked in a legal battle with the studio, with O'Donnell claiming that Bungie fired him "without cause" in April last year. It's a case O'Donnell has since won within the last day or two, and in its aftermath, a public legal document from the case has emerged thanks to Venturebeat. 

That document reveals that Destiny's story was "substantially revised" before release, which is why the game's launch was delayed from its original window in the summer of 2013 to March 2014. 

"Although Destinywas planned for release in September 2013," the document reads, "the story was substantially revised beginning August 2013, requiring a new release date of March 2014 and edits to much of the work previously completed."

These words led weight to a claim made last year by a user on Reddit - whose post has since been deleted - that Destiny's story in 2013 was very different from the one which eventually saw release. The original story would, the user alleged, have introduced a character named Crow, who would have revealed far more about The Traveler - the giant orb hanging above Earth - its humanoid representative, The Speaker, and other mysteries thrown up in the game's future world.

Interestingly, lead writer Joseph Staten left Bungie in September 2013, around the time the legal document suggests the story changes took place. Was this the point where Crow and much of the game's backstory were quietly dropped? And if so, why? While we may never find the exact answer to that question, the forthcoming release of The Taken King expansion promises to give more focus to the game's story.

Gamespot