Analyst: Don't expect new Bungie game in 2013

Bungie's Destiny may not be foretold until 2014. Cowen & Company analyst Doug Creutz said in a note to investors today that based on Activision's earnings report yesterday, he is no longer expecting the former Halo studio's next game to ship in 2013.

"We had been assuming the new Bungie franchise would launch at the end of fiscal year 2013, with a considerable level of success," Creutz wrote. "We are now pushing our assumed launch date of the title out to fiscal year 2014."

What spurred Creutz to adjust his prediction for when Destiny will arrive was Activision management admitting yesterday that its fiscal 2013 would be a trying time. This was due in part to Activision expecting "very difficult" year-over-year comparables related to the strong debut of Diablo III.

That said, Creutz did not rule out the possibility of Destiny launching in 2013.

Destiny is Bungie's first project as part of a 10-year publishing deal with Activision. Legal documents from May suggest that this game will be released for the Xbox 360 and that console's successor in 2013, with a 2014 release slated for the PlayStation 3.

Its gameplay officially remains a mystery, though a recent report suggests Destiny will be "quite like Halo."