In what might be a first for the video game industry, Destiny 2 developer Bungie has put out a job listing for a “Destiny Historian.” Essentially, the employee’s role with the company will be to keep track of lore and coordinate with the different members of the game’s team in order to maintain continuity and keep things consistent. The first Destiny released in 2014, and having one specific person on staff to keep track of the lore between the two games doesn’t sound like the worst idea in the world. In fact, it wouldn’t be surprising to see other developers follow suit!
The job listing was shared on Twitter by Bungie’s Max Nichols, and can be found embedded below.
We just posted a “Destiny Historian” job at #Bungie. I’ve never really heard of a role like this at other companies, I think it sounds pretty cool – and I thought my Twitter might agree: https://t.co/wmcRhndNOx
— Max Nichols (@maxnichols) June 29, 2021
While the job listing will no doubt draw in a lot of Destiny fans, Nichols was quick to point out that the publisher does have a number of requirements beyond a passion for the games. Some of these requirements include “strong project management,” “proficiency in editing prose,” and “planning and organizing.” The position will also require maintaining “good relationships with creators and vendors,” experience with the editing and production process on books, and more.
As the video game industry continues to embrace the concept of “games as a service,” it will be interesting to see if more developers and publishers look to enlist team historians. As any comic book fan will tell you, maintaining continuity can be a crucial part of the immersion process. If developers like Bungie want to keep fans coming back to games like Destiny 2, it becomes increasingly important to make sure that the player’s time and spending feel worth it. Hopefully, whoever does end up filling this position will help the Destiny series thrive for a long time to come.
Destiny 2 is currently available on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Google Stadia, and PC. You can check out all of our previous coverage of the game right here.
What do you think of the new position at Bungie? Do you think more video game companies should hire historians? Let us know in the comments or share your thoughts directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp to talk all things gaming!