Bungie has been in the news a lot lately, first for pulling development efforts for Destiny 2 and then because of the impacts the recent PlayStation layoffs have had on the game studio's capabilities and structure. Most recently, however, it seems as though Bungie is returning to the fan-favorite Destiny 2 in order to claw back some consumer trust after Marathon's middling reception. As it turns out, according to recent comments by Jason Schreier on YouTube, there was a game in the works at Bungie in 2024 that could have already served as "the future of Destiny."

According to the game journalist, the topic of Destiny 3 was repeatedly brought up in team meetings at Bungie, which were often rebutted with complaints about the potential cost of developing Destiny 3. As an alternative, Bungie was working on a game internally referred to as "codename Payback," run by Destiny veterans, Luke Smith and Mark Noseworthy, until it was cancelled in 2024. Before the game's cancellation, Payback was seen internally as the future of Destiny, even though it took a different approach to the Destiny formula.

Payback had a much stronger focus on the hero aspects of Destiny, with Schreier comparing the gameplay to Genshin Impact, "in terms of the way that you would play as a different hero from the Destiny universe." Another major difference was that Payback would target newer, younger audiences, instead of Destiny franchise stalwarts, making it more approachable and easier to get into as a new player.

Curiously, this more approachable formula appears to be what Bungie has committed to with its recent push for a refresh to Destiny 2, which will kick off with unvaulting old campaigns and Destiny 2 content. Schreier also mentions that there are other Destiny projects being pitched at Bungie, however, he also highlights that a lot of the people who were pivotal in Destiny 2's creation are no longer at Bungie, so it seems as though it will be an uphill battle going forward.