Breaking: Joe Blackburn Is Leaving Bungie Next Month
Incredibly sad news has emerged as Destiny 2 Game Director Joe Blackburn is stepping down from Bungie.
Today, we were thrilled with two pieces of news. One is about the incredible collaboration between Destiny 2 and Mass Effect, and the other is about Joe Blackburn. The beloved Destiny 2 Game Director will leave the studio next month after Bungie completes the End-to-End playtest of The Final Shape.
Joe has recently announced this on his Twitter account while also stressing the significance of End-to-End playtests, which have been a tradition at the studio since Forsaken. In his message, he highlights the importance of this moment as it coincides with the handover to the new Game Director of Destiny 2. Tyson Green, who has been a part of Bungie since the days of Myth II and Marathon 2, was responsible for Multiplayer in Halo 3 and also introduced the concept of Exotic weapons in Destiny 1. He was a designer for The Witch Queen and Shadowkeep and will now take over as the new Game Director.
Concluding, Joe admits that it has always been a privilege to be part of the Bungie team and that even after leaving, he will remain a huge fan of the studio. In the near future, Blackburn will take a break from social media, so this can be considered his last message as the D2 Game Director.
Luke Smith, executive creative director at Bungie, also commented on this situation. He stated that Joe and the team delivered with The Witch Queen as an expansion, and he is excited about the next step in Joe’s career. On the other hand, he is very happy that Tyson Green will be the Destiny 2 Game Director, as he is one of the most talented developers at Bungie. Luke ends his speech in a very original way:
“Your Guardians remain in – through Tyson and the D2 team – increadible hands.”
— Luke Smith, Executive Creative Director
The community has received this news with great sadness, as many considered Joe one of the best and most open D2 Game Directors. He was the one who bridged the gap between the studio and the community, helping everyone to be on one page. He made every effort to improve Destiny 2 despite the difficulties that arose while listening carefully to the fans. Thanks to him, many funny and heartfelt streams shared details about the game’s and studio’s inner workings. This may be the last we hear of Joe at Bungie, but we hope to hear more from him in the gaming industry.
Thank You, Joe, for Everything You’ve Done for Bungie and the D2 community. Thank You for Reading. Owl Is Flying Away
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