It didn’t take long for Sony to put its billions to work. Bungie is currently working on multiple titles for its new owners. But, while most know Bungie for their darker, more mature stories, typically involving a universe-ending tale, an upcoming project will be more “lighthearted and whimsical”. More importantly, this new game will be a live-service title using Unreal Engine 5.
The Game Post spotted the new job ad detailing Bungie hiring an “incubation gameplay engineering lead”, which reads:
As a Lead Gameplay Engineer at Bungie, you will build the gameplay architecture and systems that make the game feel amazing – the nexus of animation, gameplay, and networking – using a wide range of technologies. Most importantly, you will work with a fun, dedicated, and passionate cross-discipline team devoted to making a new franchise at Bungie.
Bungie hasn’t released a new game since Destiny 2, which came out 6 years ago. It’s unclear what Bungie has been working on in the interim but it’s safe to say that it could’ve spent the majority of its resources supporting the live-service shooter as it conceptualizes new games.
With Sony as the new owner, it’s possible that Bungie now has the incentive to bring those ideas to life.
Regardless of what Bungie is working on, the studio will play a massive role in Sony’s plan to release ten live-service games through 2026.
As for why Sony didn’t ask Bungie to use the Decima engine, it might have been in consideration. The in-house video game engine, created by Insomniac Games, has seen much success in some of Sony’s best-selling AAA titles, including the Death Stranding and Horizon games. But, it’s been used for large single-player titles, which Bungie’s next game isn’t.
Seeing as Unreal Engine 5 is the go-to choice for some of today’s biggest games, including Fortnite, Bungie and Sony could save on development costs by using Epic Games’ engine.
Speaking of Sony, the Japanese console manufacturer is reportedly set to hold a PlayStation Showcase later this month. The most recent rumor claims that several first-party studios are ready to show off what they’ve been working on over the past year.
