Bungie talks Destiny competitive multiplayer

The competitive multiplayer component of Bungie's new shooter Destiny is a "huge focus" for the studio, according to community manager Eric Osborne. No footage or firm details for this mode have been revealed to date, but Osborne explained some of the studio's thinking process in a new interview with Eurogamer.

"Competitive multiplayer is a huge focus for the team. We love it. We play it at lunch weekly. We fight about it. We constantly go back and forth. The perspectives vary wildly inside the studio," Osborne said.

"But it's already got to the point where it's really fun and it's really about tweaking and iterating and playing it every day and finding that spot we think is unique but also feels familiar for those who are into competitive multiplayer that's skill-based, 'I'm better than you not necessarily because of the gear I have but because I'm better than you.'"

Osborne would not say how exactly players will access Destiny's multiplayer component, whether it be through a traditional menu option or in a more emergent way. However, he did confirm that players encountered in the gameworld cannot force anyone else into a PvP match.

Bungie has a formidable pedigree for competitive multiplayer games, having created the Halo franchise that remains a chart-topper for activity on Xbox Live.

Destiny's competitive multiplayer mode is just one of the game's social components. The game will also feature more narrative-driven multiplayer content in the form of group activities that teams of players can partake in, including raids.

A Destiny beta will be available on all platforms in early 2014. Preordering the game is the only way to be guaranteed access to the beta. Bungie has not disclosed what kind of content will be featured in the Destiny beta.