Bungie has clarified that Destiny’s budget is “nowhere near” $500 million

Back in May, Activision Chief Executive Officer Bobby Kotick revealed that the publisher will invest $500 million in Bungie’s upcoming shooter, Destiny. Since then, that figure has been associated with the development and marketing budget of the game, but Bungie recently said it isn’t accurate. Responding to a question from a fan, Bungie’s Eric Osborne repeated the developer’s Chief Operating Officer Pete Parsons’ explanation: “For marketing you’d have to ask Activision people, but for development costs, not anything close to $500 million,” Parsons told GameIndustry International in an interview. “I think that speaks a lot more to the long-term investment that we’re making in the future of the product.” “We’re pouring everything it takes into Destiny to ensure it meets our fans’ expectations, and our own,” Osborne added.

A lucky batch of Destiny fans explored part of the game’s galaxy in a recent alpha, but that sampling left a considerable count of heroes with the same thought: is Peter Dinklage tired or something? The Game of Thrones actor voices Ghost, a floating device that accompanies players through firefights for justice, but some found his delivery to be weak and lifeless, even for a non-living piece of technology. Fans don’t need to worry about it breaking immersion at Destiny’s launch though, as a recent update from Bungie states that Ghost’s lines have “already been updated for Beta,” and that they’ll also be “updated again for launch.” The update also dismisses the idea of a $500 million budget orbiting around Destiny, which Activision CEO Bobby Kotick described as a “$500 million bet” last month. While Bungie’s update concedes that we would have to “ask Activision people” about the marketing budget’s size, it concludes that Destiny’s budget, “including associated marketing costs and pizza Wednesdays, is nowhere near 500 million dollars.” Lastly, anyone that’s eager to know more about the achievements they’ll chase in Destiny’s planetary cluster can find a full list in Bungie’s update.