Destiny 2, especially under Bungie’s sole purview, has been a game that tries its best to welcome all people, standing behind the firm mantra that gaming is for everyone. In recent years, Bungie has started several inclusion clubs, including Black at Bungie, Women at Bungie, Trans at Bungie, and Accessibility at Bungie.
These clubs are meant to ensure that Bungie’s employees feel included in the workplace, as well as make the games more accessible and inclusive to all players. Notably, the first of these clubs was only created after Bungie’s split with Activision, almost two years from the announcement of its departure.
Now, Bungie has created a new transgender and gender-nonconforming awareness emblem that is available for all Destiny 2 players. The emblem features the colors of the transgender pride flag in the Bungie shield and overlaid on the Bungie fist logo. This emblem, “Be True,” is free via Bungie’s code redemption site for all players who use the following code: ML3-FD4-ND9. The emblem launches a week ahead of Transgender Awareness Week, which takes place from Nov. 13-20.
Additionally, during November, “all profits from the sales of Bungie’s Pride Pin will benefit TransLifeline in support of their efforts to provide peer support to trans people in crisis through respectful, anonymous, and confidential communication and resources.” The emblem’s arrival in the game comes eight months after the founding of the club, Trans at Bungie, when Destiny 2 UI engineer David Setser promised the emblem would be coming later in the year.
Women and people from other marginalized communities are among the most discriminated against when it comes to gaming, and it is important for companies to do their best to combat such discrimination whenever possible. Bungie has made it a key part of its strategy to make their workers and players feel included, no matter their background. In the past, it has banned players for sporting racist usernames, even when those players were top performers in the game.
Bungie has made it clear that their games are meant for everyone to enjoy, and that is something that many players can respect, even while it drives away others. During a time when publishers such as Activision and Ubisoft are struggling to keep a positive public image, Bungie is proving itself to be a prime example for others to follow. It’s fairly ironic, considering that just a few years ago, Bungie was under the corporate umbrella of Activision.
Destiny 2 is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Stadia, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S.
Source: Bungie, Bungie Redemption Page
