Destiny's release delay caused by substantial story rewrites court documents reveal

Destiny was delayed from an initial target release in September 2013 to March 2014 due to "substantial" rewrites to the story. This was revealed in court documents pertaining to the lawsuit between publisher Activision and Halo and Destiny composer Marty O'Donnell.

O'Donnell, who claimed he was "fired without cause" has won a substantial, profit-sharing settlement from the court case, leading to the publication of these documents. They read: "Although Destiny was planned for release in September 2013, the story was substantially revised beginning August 2013, requiring a new release date of March 2014 and edits to much of the work previously completed." (Via VentureBeat)

A further delay would eventually see the game released in September 2014, at which point it was widely criticised for its scant and dull narrative. It was especially disappointing after lofty claims that the game's story would sit alongside the likes of Star Wars and Lord Of The Rings. Destiny actually has quite a deep lore, but the majority of it is detailed through text in Grimoire Cards only available on the game's website – which a large portion of players will never see.

The lawsuit focused on O'Donnell's increasing frustrations over the influence of Activision on the hit online shooter and his soundtrack. He was eventually fired in April 2014 and stripped of his shares in Bungie, which were returned to him in a separate lawsuit prior to this one.

Next week on 15 September Destiny releases its third expansion − The Taken King − roughly one year on from its initial release. It is the biggest expansion to date and will greatly change the Destiny experience.

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