Bungie have hired Patrick ‘Holtzmann’ Casey, a prolific Destiny YouTuber since the launch of the original game, as a ‘gameplay specialist’.
What new Exotics are coming in the Warmind DLC? Here’s our freshly updated Destiny 2 Exotics guide.
Game directorChristopher Barrett tweeted out his welcomepersonally. It looks like Holtzmann is on board for a three-month contract:
— Holtzmann_YT (@Holtzmann_YT) April 23, 2018
Holtzmann was one of the first generation of Destiny content creators and a linchpin of the original game’s remarkable community. Thanks largely to his contributions, Planet Destiny wastheplace to go for an in-depth review of Exotic or Legendary weapons and recommendations for the perk rolls to shoot for.
However his recent output – as seen in the video below – has acknowledged that there is no need for this kind of analysis in Destiny 2. Legendaries have fixed perks, the loot system is far less complex, and the game is much more readable in every respect. This is in some ways a good thing, but it has hurt the conversation around the game badly.
Holtzmann’s job title is a broad one, but given the nature of his output, hopefully he’s been brought in to add some much-needed depth to the appropriate parts of the game. The original Destiny was deeply compelling, if often frustrating, and PC players who love a grind have yet to see what this series once offered.
This news follows the Bungie community summit, in which lore experts were invited to the studio to advise on fixing Destiny 2’s storytelling (and, hopefully, surfacing its lore).
There’s a widespread perception that Destiny 2 is a dead game. Bungie’s response has been a series of updates making radical changes, and now it seems they’re turning to the community for further help. Moreover, 100,000 people were watching the Warmind reveal on Twitch. I wouldn’t underestimate Bungie or Activision’s commitment to this property, or their determination to fix it.