Joe Blackburn Returns To Bungie To Work On New Destiny Stuff

Approximately ten months after departing the company for a position at Riot Games, Joe Blackburn has now returned to Bungie. It hasn't been confirmed whether or not the ex-design lead will be reprising his role, but he has announced on Twitter that he'll be working on Destiny 2.

Blackburn departed Bungie in April of 2019, as reported by Game Rant, and moved on to a position with the developer behind League of Legends as principal designer in the Research and Development department. Now, he's returning home to roost at Bungie as of June 9. When he had worked on Bungie previously, Blackburn went from Raid design lead to design lead and is known for working on the acclaimed Last Wish raid that is a standout part of the Forsaken expansion.

The game has changed drastically since Blackburn's departure, with major milestones like entering Year 3 of Destiny 2 and Shadowkeep launching making up a large part of the content landscape.

It's unsure if Blackburn will take on a new position at Bungie in light of recent announcements about the MMOs plans stretching well into 2022, but the next three expansions will undoubtedly all benefit from his raid design expertise at the very least.

Destiny 2's next big chapter is called Beyond Light, and it looks like the game's formula is going to be shaken up yet again with the introduction of a new power--Stasis--and a raid that will finally explore the origins of the mysterious Exo (RIP Cayde-6). Bungie is also working on a new game that may be more 'whimsical' than its multiplayer shooter after receiving a NetEase investment worth $100 million in 2018 to develop new, non-Destiny games.