A long lost treasure, seemingly lost to time has emerged. No, we're not talking about any item within Destiny. We're talking about something far more valuable: Destiny's original soundtrack by Halo composer, Marty O'Donnell.
After Activision began forcing creative decisions on the game's production, Bungie veterans began to quit, and the game began shifting direction. Eventually, original writer Joseph Staten quit, and the game began to fly apart at the seams. Finally, Activision began interfering with the game's score, O'Donnell resisted…and was terminated by Bungie.
Kotaku has an in-depth report of the proceedings, but internet anti-hero BdobbinsFTW put together a fairly comprehensive video that captures my feelings on the subject far better.
The score was completed without him, his work chopped into what we experienced in game. It's beautiful, as is, but it's a shame we never got to experience the real deal. But now we can.
A Change.org petition requests that Bungie release Marty O'Donnell's original Music of the Spheres. It's currently owned by Bungie, and locked in Smaug's lair under a metric ton of gold coins. Or something of the sort. But this petition is a serious chance at changing that, thanks to fan Timothy Nyce, who spearheaded the petition over Twitter.
Edit (12/1/17 | 4:57 PM): Per O'Donnell's Twitter (@MartytheElder), Activision did not own The Music of the Spheres, or any Destiny IP, at the time he left the company. Article has been updated to reflect this.
You can sign the petition here:
Share it on Facebook and Twitter. Momentum is key, and Bungie is in a season of concession; if there's any time they'd be receptive to this request, it's now.
Here's some backstory as to how we got here.
Over the past few years, though, Destiny superfan Owen Spence has been piecing together the pieces of that original composition. Over the course of the past year, Spence identified the pieces that were present in the final game, and with a forensic attention to detail, has re-assembled the massive span of the full composition.
It may very well be one of the greatest musical scores I've heard in my life. I've followed this project for quite some time. When Destiny first launched, I was dismayed that the original Music of the Spheres wouldn't be released. I downloaded low-quality music rips of the missing pieces I found over hours of searching. The quality was terrible, but the music was divine.
Then, I discovered Spence's work. It was profound, and magical. Minute tunes I'd loved were suddenly part of a massive score, beyond anything I could have possible imagined. I spent hours listening to each song. The Traveler's theme, the themes of Mars, Venus and the Moon…it was a distilled experience I can't possible do justice with words. Imagine the entire experience of Destiny's world, boiled down to music.
Over time, Spence perfected the work, with the help of another fan, Tlohtzin Espinosa, getting more and more precise. Marty O'Donnell himself commented on his YouTube releases, commending him for his work.
You can check out Espinosa's channel and an earlier cut of The Music of the Spheres here.
The Music of the Spheres
There was a point in time where Destiny, the game we love, was nothing more than an idea within the minds of a few people at Bungie. Having departed Microsoft in pursuit of this vision, the legendary studio entered a new era. It was one of ambition, but also one that needed to be started from scratch.
All their assets, music and equipment had been left at Microsoft, they truly were building something from the ground up. And for all their collective brilliance, their had to be a kernel for Destiny to grow from.
There were a few key figures responsible for the core identity of Destiny, in conception. Bungie founder Jason Jones had the idea; artist Christopher Barrett crafted a visual board for the game's species; writer Joseph Staten began writing the universe's rules, lore and characters.
But before any of this, Bungie CEO approached the legendary composer, Marty O'Donnell. In an interview with IGN's Ryan MacCaffrey, he describes this encounter.
Destiny had no story, no characters and no clear vision to build around. So, Parsons asked O'Donnell to create a keystone composition: The Music of the Spheres.
Section discussing the score's role in the design of the game has been removed for accuracy.
It can only be experienced in part by playing the game; and in totality, through The Music of the Spheres.
We can't change the past. Bungie is made up of a talented team as is, and it's useless to speculate what the game would look or sound like if Staten and O'Donnell had remained. But we can experience his brilliance once again with The Music of the Spheres.
I haven't wanted something this much in quite some time, and I believe the Destiny fanbase deserves the chance to experience Destiny's unaltered glory in The Music of the Spheres.
If you love Destiny, please consider signing the petition.
Edit (12/1/17 | 4:57 PM): Per O'Donnell's Twitter (@MartytheElder), Activision did not own The Music of the Spheres, or any Destiny IP, at the time he left the company. Article has been updated to reflect this.
Section discussing the score's role in the design of the game has been removed for accuracy.