Bungie filed more than six new patents regarding touchscreen controls, which were revealed to the public last week, as per TheGamePost. Many of said patents revolve around the specific concept of a ‘virtual controller’ in which virtual buttons within the touchscreen are used to simulate traditional analog inputs. They also tackle ideas like “virtual button charging,” which will reportedly allow some sort of auto-sprint feature, as well as features like auto-aiming and swipe-and-dragging objects. One of these patents mentions both Destiny games by name.
The patents were reportedly filed back in March, meaning Bungie may already have some time working on a mobile game, which would corroborate several past reports. All the way back in August 2021, a Bungie job listing sought out an executive producer, and among the preferred requirements was that the candidate be willing to travel to China. This immediately had many journalists and commentators speculating that Bungie was in the early process of creating a mobile game, due to the dominance of the mobile market in the Chinese gaming audience.
More reports sprung up quite recently. Yet again, TheGamePost reported, back in July 2022, that Bungie was working on a standalone mobile iteration of their acclaimed Destiny franchise in conjunction with Chinese tech company NetEase. Allegedly, they found a NetEase artist’s since-adjusted LinkedIn profile that stated they had worked on an “unannounced FPS mobile game” in cooperation with Bungie.
TheGamePost then claimed they had their own source with knowledge of NetEase’s development plans that said the company’s gaming division was working on a new Destiny game and that it’s been in development for more than two years. TheGamePost also suggested that this mobile game is not a port of Destiny 2, but instead a standalone title.
The more recently disclosed patents also go over automatic targeting for objects, which they hope will “improve a user’s ability to control a movement of that object, such as via the use of a directional pad.” Though there are many reports and tidbits that heavily suggest this game’s existence, a very key detail is still unknown. It’s currently unclear whether the game will only come to China or also to Western audiences.