In its weekly update posted earlier today, Bungie shared a wealth of stats from its post-E3 alpha test for Destiny, one PS4 game we at PlayStation Universe can’t stop talking about.
The developer also pulled back the curtain on new merchandise in its online store–namely, a limited-edition T-shirt commemorating the alpha with a now-infamous phrase: “That wizard came from the moon.”
The off-kilter line was spoken in the alpha by Ghost, the robot/player-companion voiced by Game of Thrones actor Peter Dinklage. Dinklage is fantastic as Tyrion Lannister in HBO’s series, but his performance as Ghost in Destiny has been criticized by players and press alike as being wooden, phoned-in, and all manner of pejoratives.
Personally, I think he does excellent work. The faux-human personality Ghost exhibits had me chuckling at his vain attempts at humor and wondering how advanced the technology in Destiny’s future-Earth has become. But that’s beside the point: the T-shirt, pictured below, is a clever, funny example of a developer paying attention to its fanbase and laughing along with them. It’s also a silent confirmation that they’ve heard the feedback, though it’s entirely possible additional work has been done on Dinklage’s voiceover past the game’s alpha state, which could be months-old.
The shirt is available for $24.99 plus shipping, and as Bungie notes, it’s only going to be around for a limited edition run. All proceeds are going to charity through the Bungie Foundation.
Meanwhile, the developer thanked fans and media for a rewarding alpha test that was hugely informative for their continuing efforts, revealing changes, adjustments, and player behavior that will affect the final release. “Putting our Alpha out there lit a new kind of fire here at Bungie. It feels like we’ve been reborn,” said community manager DeeJ. “Putting alpha code out in the wild is always a risk; that build is ancient by our standards, riddled with content and bugs we’d never allow through to ship. In many cases, the really rough and jagged edges had been hammered smooth long ago, making it all the more difficult to see them discovered, but in just as many others, there’s still work to do, and the only way to get it done is to let you touch down in our world to tear the place wide open.”
“. . . A lot of our friends asked us if this was a real Alpha. It was. We’ve gathered a mountain of data and feedback. We’re learning and reacting and Destiny is going to be better because of it. You’ll see the fruits of that labor as early as next month, assuming we’re lucky enough to have you in our Public Beta.
Hope to see you there.”
Here are some stats Bungie collected from all the hours we spent cursing that four-legged mech in Old Russia’s Strike mission:
149,522,313 Primary Weapon Kills
21,782,610 Secondary Weapon Kills
4,002,737 Heavy Weapon Kills
21,687,298 Super Ability Kills
2,819,211 Orbs of Light Gathered
6,850,773 Control Points Captured in the Crucible
1,195 Deathless Medals awarded in the Crucible
4,356 Splatters with the Sparrow
667,966 Public Events Joined
60,491,944 Fallen Dregs Dispatched with Extreme Prejudice
Too many to count: Guardians served in Dance Parties
6,461,871 Player Games Played!
Destiny is coming September 9 for PlayStation 4, and sometime later for PS3.