Earlier this morning, it came to light that Destiny’s Silver currency was listed and purchasable on Steam. This lead many to the conclusion that Destiny 2 would launch on Steam alongside the Blizzard version. But I believe this is indicative of a more exciting possibility: The Original Destiny may release on PC.
My reasoning: One of the red flags that caused me to doubt that the listing was real was that the SteamDB page provided icons that were linked to the PlayStation Store. It seemed like a really lazy placeholder. The thing is, if this was fake, why bother inserting a link like that? Additionally, why use Destiny 1 images when Destiny 2 branded assets would be easy to fake?
So I wrote an article dismissing it as a fake, for the reasons listed above.
Then, something else came to light: All the links on the page were live. Upon clicking “Buy on Steam,” they linked to a real, purchasable item on Steam. This was impossible. Getting listed on Steam costs hundreds of dollars. Not only would a forger not have access to this, but it’s unlikely Steam would review and publish a fake item from a game that they know belongs to a real, major AAA publisher. It wouldn’t make it past review.
Then, a second possibility sprung to me. The use of Destiny 1 assets and PlayStation store placeholders gave me an idea.
When Microsoft released Halo Wars 2, it was the first Halo game since Halo 2 to release on PC. Like Destiny, the original Halo Wars was Xbox console exclusive. But Halo Wars 2 was releasing on PC, so Microsoft released a port of Halo Wars 1 on PC.
But here’s where it gets interesting: Despite the upcoming title being exclusive to the Windows Store, Microsoft released Halo Wars’ port/remaster…on Steam. At a low price, it was popular, and acted as a cheap trial for players who were interested, but wouldn’t readily fork over $60 for a new title or invest in the Windows Store system. It proved popular, getting high reviews exceeding 9/10. Halo Wars 2 was subsequently met with widespread approval, alongside Gears of War 4 and Forza Horizon 3. All three were hailed as being masterclass PC games, despite all three starting as Xbox exclusive titles.
The thing is, Destiny 2 faces a similar challenge. Many players are skeptical of not having Destiny 2 on Steam. And additionally, Destiny has never been played on PC. With the PC community as skeptical as they are, there needs to be an olive branch.
That branch could be releasing Destiny 1 on Steam. By releasing it at a low price, they could tempt players and offer a cheap opportunity to experience Destiny, before committing $60 for the sequel. This would ease concerns from PC gamers and make for an easier sell.
While the Steam listing is far from confirmed, and Bungie has yet to reveal any plans in that direction, this could be signal that that’s a direction they’re going. So I don’t believe Destiny 2 is coming to Steam, but the original may. And if it does, it’d be a wise move from Bungie and Activision.