Destiny: Bungie Reveals Big Changes to Franchise After New Boss Arrives

The company has confirmed that Harold Ryan will be stepping down from his position as studio President.

The announcement was made on the official Bungie site, where it was revealed that the Bungie Board of Directors had appointed Pete Parsons to the role of Chief Executive Officer in his stead.

It means big changes at the studio that has developed Destiny and all its biggest DLC expansions, including The Taken King on Xbox One, Xbox 360, PS4 and PS3.

The studio say that Parsons will be tasked with heading the Bungie team as they continue to develop new Destiny DLC going forward.

Much has been made of the current state of the hit space shooter, with recent reports indicating that its official sequel may have been pushed back from its original 2016 release slot and could now be replaced with a big expansion offering.

Parsons, who has been chief operating officer since 2002, pledged that fans have yet to see the best from Bungie and that he would be looking to build new experience for fans to enjoy.

"I want to personally thank Harold for his friendship, passion, hard work, and dedication in helping make Bungie the great company it is today," Parsons commented.

"As a team, we celebrated many victories and weathered many storms.

"To the players of Destiny, I want you to know that my number one priority, and Bungie’s, is and always has been to deliver great games that we can all share together.

"I believe that Destiny is a one-of-a-kind experience. I also believe you have yet to see our studio’s best work.

"My new role here at the studio will be entirely focused on fulfilling that promise."

Ryan will be stepping down from his position as studio President but it is currently unclear if that means he will be leaving Bungie all together.

Now, the natural conclusion to form is that Parsons' appointment (and big words) will expedite the arrival of Destiny 2, when in fact it emerged just days ago that the impatiently longed-for sequel will miss its rumoured September 2016 release date.

Instead, our hope is that you'll see a deeper means of exploring Mercury (which was originally planned to have a much bigger role from the outset) via a new in-game event, which tallies with recent fan discoveries within The Taken King.

"There’s a whiteboard in one of our meeting rooms filled with scribblings and sticky notes that represent the developments planned for Destiny’s not-so-distant future," wrote community manager David Dague last month, regarding 2016 plans. "Events, activities, content, and features designed to keep you happy, entertained, and rewarded throughout the year to come: some events and some activities that will become additions to your Director."

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