It’s no secret that Destiny is one of the most anticipated video games of the past decade, but even hardcore fans of the industry have to be surprised by just how popular this title is, even before its release.
According to a press release from Activision, the beta test for Destiny was played by more than 4.6 million gamers in the 10 days it was available. The beta began for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 3 users on July 17, and it ran through Sunday, July 27. The beta was also available for Xbox One and Xbox 360 users on July 22 and also ran through July 27.
"This is the biggest beta of this console generation by a wide margin and the largest console beta ever for a new video game IP to date," said Eric Hirshberg, CEO of Activision Publishing in the press release. "Hosting a beta at this scale is an incredible feat, so we're thrilled to see the phenomenal response. But the beta is just a taste of what's to come. We're counting down the days to our launch day, September 9th."
In addition to the beta receiving massive publicity, the game also garnered near-unanimous praise, with Game Informer, Forbes and Digital Spy complimenting various aspects of the title. Despite the initial praise, gamers won’t really know how Destiny plays until the bugs are worked out of the beta for the game’s final release.
"We were totally blown away by the number of people who played the beta," said Pete Parsons, COO of Bungie. "We surpassed even our own goals and the feedback was invaluable. We cannot thank the community enough, the response was humbling and in the weeks ahead we'll be working hard to ensure that Destiny lives up to the expectations at launch."
Activision and Bungie have sunk a fortune into Destiny, and the plan is to keep building the game up with improvements, extra content and new maps over the next 10 years, according to Game Informer. So, in essence, the version of Destiny people played in the beta and during its initial launch won’t be the finished product. Still, if those numbers are any indication, Activision will likely have a huge audience willing to stick around as the game evolves.
Destiny will be released on PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360 and Xbox One on September 9.
