Bungiehas been a large name in first-person shooters for years now.Bungierevolutionized console shooters with the release ofHalofor the original Xbox, and in recent years has continued to support and make sweeping changes to its extremely popular looter shooterDestiny 2. Bungie has said very little about what future plans the studio has, but it did file a trademark for a game titledMatterthat has led to many theorizing over what exciting things the studio could bring next.
Bungie has not officially announcedMatter, or what type of game it is, but a recent job posting from Bungie has pointed towardsMatterbeing a hero shooter similar toOverwatchorValorant.Hero shooters have become increasingly popularin recent years, and while Bungie has never released a game with hero shooter mechanics, the studio could likely do some great work in the genre. It also is not clear whether or notMatterwill actually be set in the same universe asDestiny 2, but with the success of theDestinyseries it is likely that the game will have at least some things in common with Bungie’s flagship title.
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What’s Known About Bungie’s Matter
TheMattertrademark first appeared in Europe all the way back in 2018, and it has yet to have any official acknowledgement from Bungie since. This has led to most of what is known about the title being derived from ajob posting at Bungiethat caught attention over the past week. The job posting asks for a Gameplay and Combat Design role on a nine-month contract. The job posting says it is looking for a candidate with previous experience working on character-focused action games with the goal of creating moments focused on teamplay.
The job posting’s stipulations definitely align with hero shooters; a genre where players have access to different weapons and abilities depending on what character they are playing and with a heavy emphasis on team members coordinating and playing strategically together. The nine month contract also indicates that the position might not necessarily be related toDestiny 2either, asDestiny 2has a long future of updatesahead of it as a long term project.
It also lines up well with the fact thatMatterhas likely been worked on for a few years now, since the trademark was filed back in 2018. With Bungie’s recent expansion by doubling its Washington studio’s size, while also opening a second studio in Amsterdam, it also seems that Bungie may be growing in preparation for supporting a second AAA title.
What a Hero Shooter Meets Destiny Could Look Like
IfMatterdoes end up being a hero shooter with inspiration taken fromDestiny, it could become something very original within the hero shooter genre.Destiny 2already has established player classesof Titan, Hunter, and Warlock. While each class has a few ability trees that allow players to customize their playstyle. However, the classes still fit into traditional hero shooter types relatively well.
Titans work well as tanks, Hunters as DPS, and Warlocks as support characters. Bungie definitely has a grip on creating different ability styles in a shooter, andMattercould likely see some abilities inDestinypopping up in its heroes. It is not hard to imagine one hero being able to summon a gun with limited ammo that deals tons of damage, another creating a well of energy that heals allies, and another hero being able to put up walls.
Of course,Destiny 2also has a large variety of visual aesthetics and cosmetic items for players to pursue as well.Destiny 2features a large variety of items for each of the three classes, soMatterwill likely also sport a similar tapestry of imaginative and impressive cosmetics. But one of the biggest features ofDestiny 2and any hero shooter is the shooting itself, andDestiny 2has an incredible spread of weapons that could indicate what players could expect fromMatter.
Exotic weapons inDestinyhave always been covetedthanks to their unique mechanics and ability to define a player’s play style. Bungie’s experience developing those different weapons would translate very well toMatterand could lead to heroes inMatterall having very different weapons in their kits and feeling very different to play because of it. It could lead to a hero shooter where heroes are especially defined by their weapon rather than their abilities.
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What We’d Like to See in Bungie’s Matter
It would be great to seeMattertie into theDestinyuniverse in some shape or form.Bungie has built a wonderful worldwith some very colorful and interesting characters over the years that would all be a big opportunity forMatterto take advantage of. Being able to step into the shoes of Zavala or Crota would be a big treat forDestinyfans and would make it easier for players to immediately identify the characters. However, Bungie may also want to create an entirely new IP that can attract new players while standing on its own.
If Bungie opts to keepMatterseparate fromDestiny, it would still hopefully keep Bungie’s identity intact. It would be great to seeMatterstill include shield mechanics similar toDestinyandHalowhile also keeping Bungie’s penchant for creating mechanically interesting and diverse weapons. It also would be great to see Bungie bring its attention to detail and personalization toMatteras well.Destiny 2grants players an impressive amount of customizationthrough armor pieces, shaders, and ornaments, and it would be a shame forMatterto take a step backward in that regard.
Hopefully, Bungie fans will not have much longer to wait before they get a glimpse atMatter. Summer is approaching, bringing E3 and Summger Games Fest with it, and both seem like prime candidates for Bungie to reveal their newest project and start getting players excited for it. Of course, there is no telling just how similar it will be toDestiny 2in the end, but there is a lot of potential there, so hopefully, Bungie does incorporate some of thelessons they have learned fromDestiny 2into their newest project.
