Destiny: Rising – 5 things to help it thrive in mobile esports

Destiny: Rising, a free-to-play shooter for Android and Apple devices, was announced in May and is currently undergoing a private beta test. It will be available worldwide from August 28.

For those unfamiliar, Destiny: Rising, developed by NetEase Games, is a spin-off of the original Destiny series that debuted in 2014 as Bungie’s next major title after it gave the Halo series to Microsoft and 343 Industries. Launching on PlayStation 4, Xbox, and PC, players take on the role of a Guardian, sworn to protect Earth’s last city by wielding The Light, a power given by The Traveler, an alien being. Players must face off against various enemies on different planets across a wide variety of missions to protect Earth, while managing the Guardian powers. A sequel, Destiny 2, launched in 2017, that built upon its predecessor by mostly refining many of the gameplay quirks that were hampering the experience for some players.

Despite Destiny becoming a huge success for Bungie, having a spinoff title made by a different developer is uncharted territory. In the Destiny: Rising subreddit on Reddit, players who got into the open beta had good things to say about the title. With the August 28 release date fast approaching, we’re listing five things that the mobile spinoff needs to thrive in the mobile esports scene.

Destiny has been known for taking long periods to match players with others for certain missions, but it’s something that can’t happen with its upcoming mobile spinoff. The series is known for fun, non-stop combat combined with great teamwork, but it’s all for nothing if there’s slow matchmaking. 

Especially when it comes to mobile play, Destiny: Rising should prioritise fast matchups for players taking part in mobile esports events, as well as for other situations like a long commute. If NetEase can help with this by implementing regional servers and optimised systems that can sort players by skill and activity, then the spinoff could thrive as a mobile esports title.

Despite Destiny: Rising taking place in an alternate timeline, it would be a nice touch if an existing player from Destiny 2 could carry over some of their items that they’ve incessantly collected and earned via various raids and missions. 

Letting players import certain cosmetic items and weapons they’ve used for so long could help reward long-time players and build some goodwill for Destiny: Rising right off the bat. This can also help in the mobile esports scene, as some established players may be known in the Destiny community, so seeing familiar loot in some tournaments could help bring in these competitors and longtime viewers.

It’s no secret that grinding in Destiny is a well-known trait of the series, but it needs to be easier and shorter for Destiny: Rising once it’s made available worldwide next month. Perhaps weekly challenges with easier and shorter objectives to build up experience and shorter missions that can earn rewards for players could showcase how these types of games can work in mobile esports. 

For instance, seeing players in teams wearing different cosmetic items and weapons thanks to these shorter grinds could attract new players, knowing they won’t have to spend hours on their Android and iPhone devices in countless missions to get experience. For both these new and old players, it could help bring long-term investment to the mobile Destiny experience developer NetEase wants to bring over.

Sparrow Racing in Destiny is something fans love. Indeed, when it was discovered that Destiny: Rising features the mode, fans were thrilled, as this Reddit thread showed. NetEase should leverage this excitement by making Sparrow Racing its own mode. Epic Games’ Fortnite has several modes set apart from the primary Battle Royale mode, with racing and building modes ready to play. 

Destiny: Rising could feature the same, offering a dedicated Sparrow Racing mode with leagues, loot, and more, which could appeal greatly to mobile esports. Watching established players race through different worlds in the Destiny universe on mobile devices and keeping track via leaderboards could bring huge appeal to old and new players of the series. In addition, if there’s a chance of seeing a dedicated racing mode in Destiny 2 that could bring crossplay and attract players who have never played the series.

Bounties, like grinding, are a crucial attribute of the Destiny series. For the mobile spinoff, these bounties should be refreshed almost daily, as well as increasing the bounty limit of 63, found in Destiny 2. 

For mobile players, especially those playing Destiny: Rising in mobile esports, it could help the PVP missions of bounties and could be shown on leaderboards as to which bounties players have caught, and what is in progress. If NetEase gets this attribute right from the spinoff’s launch in August, bounties could keep new and old players engaged on their mobile devices while making them fun and watchable for several mobile esports events.

Destiny: Rising has the potential to be as prolific as other mobile games for esports, like Fortnite and PUBG. It follows two mainline entries on consoles and PC that have done tremendously well for Bungie, and this mobile spin-off could extend the franchise into uncharted territory.

If the spinoff takes inspiration from Destiny 2’s success by implementing much of what has made the player vs player vs environment (PVPVE) raids and narrative-driven missions work so well, Destiny: Rising could look and feel as fun on mobile devices as it has on consoles and PC for years.