Bungie explains decision to ditch lore-building Grimoire cards in Destiny 2

Bungie's Destiny has a rich sci-fi fantasy story to tell, but the original release in 2014 didn't tell it. The most interesting aspects of Destiny's galaxy in turmoil were revealed not through the game's story, but in text form through collectable "Grimoire cards".

These cards were crucial if you wanted to enjoy Destiny for anything other than its gameplay and visual design, but they won't be returning in this year's follow-up Destiny 2.

Following last week's gameplay reveal, Bungie has explained why.

Asked if they'd return by Forbes, Bungie's world lead Steve Cotton said: "The answer to that question is 'no' and the reason it's 'no' is because we want to put the lore in the game.

"We want people to be able to find the lore. All the story is told through the adventures, it's told through the characters in the world, it's told through the campaign and it's told through scannables you find throughout the world."

The story of Destiny is unchanged by the decision, only how players are told it has been.

This is certainly a logical change to make. Bungie's first crack at Destiny was criticised for its disappointingly meagre main story, and the team only rectified that in some form with the release of third expansion The Taken King in 2015.

Bungie aims to change this, evidently through more direct storytelling, but reportedly by putting a greater focus on characters as well. This has been evident in the marketing for Destiny 2, which has focused on Vanguard characters Cayde-6 and Zavala.

Destiny 2 was announced in March for release in September on PS4 and Xbox One. A PC version will be released at an unspecified date.

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