Future 2 sport director Joe Blackburn, who’s led growth of the sci-fi shooter since 2020, is leaving Bungie.
In a sequence of X posts, Blackburn introduced on January 30 that he’ll embark on “a brand new journey outdoors the partitions of Bungie” subsequent month at the beginning of a serious testing part for upcoming Future 2 growth The Ultimate Form.
The “end-to-end playtest” has been a Future 2 growth ritual since 2018’s Forsaken growth, says Blackburn, and includes “a number of days of consecutive inner playtesting.” The Ultimate Form, which is scheduled to launch on June 4, will get its end-to-end playtest in February, and that is when Blackburn will “move the torch.”
“This [playtest] will likely be particularly significant to me personally, as it would additionally function a second to move the torch of Future 2 sport director to the following period of management as I head on a brand new journey outdoors the partitions of Bungie,” wrote Blackburn.
The brand new Future 2 sport director will likely be longtime Bungie designer Tyson Inexperienced.
“In case you’ve adopted Bungie for any size of time, you have heard his title,” Blackburn mentioned. “From Halo PvP to the creation of Unique weapons in D1, Tyson has been a crucial a part of Bungie’s legacy since Delusion 2.”
The management change comes at a tumultuous time for Bungie. The developer was acquired by Sony in 2022, and like so many different gaming corporations, laid off quite a few workers late final yr. Amongst these let go have been some long-time employees members, together with composers Michael Salvatori and Michael Sechrist. The Ultimate Form was additionally delayed.
When it lastly releases this June, The Ultimate Form will see Nathan Fillion reprise his function as Cayde-6 and produce Future 2’s present narrative arc to a detailed. It’s going to additionally mark the start of a brand new episodic construction for Future 2: Somewhat than 4 seasons annually, the sport will get “three bigger episodes.”
“We’re engaged on quite a few issues proper now that we won’t explicitly share, however that contain altering up the construction so we are able to pleasantly shock you guys extra incessantly sooner or later,” mentioned Future 2 lead narrative designer Jonathan To in a current roundtable dialogue concerning the new format.
Blackburn first joined Bungie in 2015 as a raid designer, and later led growth of Future’s Season of Opulence. In 2019, he left Bungie for Riot, however returned in 2020 as Future 2’s sport director.
“As a deeply invested Guardian earlier than beginning right here at Bungie, attending to be part of the Future 2 staff has been the privilege of a lifetime,” Blackburn concluded in his departure announcement. “I’m and can perpetually stay a lifelong Bungie fan and believer in what the groups inside its partitions are able to.
“I’ve nonetheless bought a while earlier than I move the torch, however as I sit up for taking an enormous break from social media, I do know I will see yall across the Tower. It’ll be nice to play Future alongside all of you.”