Destiny: Rising is bringing the sci-fi shooter to mobile phones – we know that

Popular studio Bungie’s long-running sci-fi looter shooter Destiny is coming to smartphones, despite being produced by a different company. NetEase, the Chinese technology company, publisher and developer of various Marvel and Blizzard mobile games, is behind the new game Destiny: Rising – and players in the US and Canada can sign up for a closed alpha play test on November 1st.

From the looks of Destiny: Rising’s first trailer, NetEase has taken a similar approach to the hit game Diablo Immortal, adapting the basic look and feel of the base games to match their mobile counterparts. It combines over-the-shoulder shots that switch to first-person perspective as you aim down the sights of weapons aimed at Vex, Fallen, Hive, and other classic Destiny enemies.

What is Destiny: Rising?

Destiny: Rising is an upcoming free-to-play mobile game from NetEase, the Chinese game publisher, set in the universe of Bungie’s long-running online sci-fi shooter game Destiny. The gameplay is similar, but it switches between over-the-shoulder and first-person cameras. It features the same enemy groups and immersive storyline as the original game, and familiar exotic weapons return.

But the mobile game won’t interact or overlap with the original, at least for now. Destiny: Rising takes place long before Destiny 2 – in fact, it’s “a new version of Destiny set in an alternate universe with its own timeline,” Bungie creative lead Terry Redfield said in a developer preview video. The developer has teamed up with NetEase to create a mobile version that brings Destiny’s sci-fi universe and loot-shooter atmosphere to a new audience. Isolating the game in an alternate universe appears to be intentional to free up development between NetEase’s game and Bungie’s Destiny 2.

How do I get into the Destiny: Rising playtest?

Destiny: Rising will conduct its first closed alpha playtest starting November 1st, but it will only be available to players in the US and Canada. Players will be randomly selected from the pool of those who pre-registered on the official Destiny: Rising website. According to the playtest Q&A on the official website, a “good portion of the main campaign” will be available in the playtest, as well as a map for all game modes.

As a mobile game, Destiny: Rising is available on iOS and Android phones. NetEase recommends phones with the Snapdragon 845 chip (first released in 2018) or newer, or if using an Apple phone, iPhone 8 or newer. The publisher has not confirmed any further play testing. However, should they take place, they will be selected from the pool of pre-registered players. The game also has an official Discord server for updates and coordination during playtesting.

Who makes Destiny: Rising?

Chinese tech company NetEase is developing Destiny: Rising on its own, although it has partnered with Bungie. NetEase has developed and published numerous games, most notably co-developing the mobile hit Diablo Immortal with Activision Blizzard and the upcoming Overwatch-like hero shooter Marvel Rivals.

NetEase has been involved in a variety of games from popular franchises including Marvel, Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter. The company has also published games such as the action role-playing game Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night, the wuxia battle royale Naraka: Bladepoint and the survival shooter Once Human.

NetEase has been on an investment and acquisition spree in recent years, most notably investing $100 million in Bungie in 2018 and acquiring Detroit: Become Human developer Quantic Dream in 2019. The company has also created numerous new studios led by leading developers from major Western gaming companies such as Blizzard and Capcom, as well as those who have worked on games such as Mass Effect, Call of Duty, BlazBlue, Watch Dogs, Far Cry and Splinter Cell.

The company also worked with Western game publishers to bring their titles to China, notably Blizzard by 2023 and The Pokemon Company/Game Freak.

How will Destiny: Rising be different from Destiny 2?

Destiny: Rising’s timeline begins before the Last City exists and the Guardians emerge as a peacekeeping force, NetEase art director Alex Yan said in the developer video. This happens roughly after the Dark Ages of the Destiny timeline, but we’ll see how it deviates from Destiny’s existing timeline. The developers specifically mentioned the Iron Lords and Warlords, the regional powers that remain in place during this time before the newly formed Guardians put them in their place. Player-resurrected spirits and near-magical light abilities will still be in the game.

Because Destiny: Rising is set in an earlier era, players are not subject to the strict guidelines of the Guardians – this is a time before the Hunter, Titan, and Warlock classes. Instead, players can choose between specific pre-made characters, each with their own play style and backstory. But some familiar faces will return.

Destiny: Rising will feature missions, attacks, and six-player PvE activities carried over from Destiny 2, as well as unspecified new game modes. It will feature both new weapons and returning favorites – Sweet Business was briefly shown in the developer video, but this concept art for available weapons shows what the Huckleberry and Monte Carlo exotic weapons look like alongside a new crossbow weapon type. Additionally, there is a new rarity above Exotic called Mythic.

The Destiny: Rising team is “still quite early in the development phase” of the game, but noted that the trailers all show current gameplay footage. Aside from next month’s closed alpha playtest, it’s unclear what the release schedule is and when players will next be able to get their hands on the game.

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