SEATTLE — Yet another controversy surrounds the Destiny community as pregnant player Jade Winters has discovered that she must pay for each individual trimester.
“I’m still not sure how this is biologically possible,” Winters, a longtime Destiny player and expecting mother, expressed her confusion in a recent Twitter post. “I go to my doctor and they’re telling me I have to pay to access each 13-week interval? I was under the impression that content was included in the ultrasound.”
Destiny 2’s Senior Narrative Designer Ava Rice justified the decision in the latest This Week in Destiny (TWID).
“We decided that motherhood would best be experienced in three distinct episodes,” Rice outlined. “Episode I will feature a weekly story developing the embryo into a more complex fetus. Episode II centers baby names and nursery designs, and will feature a gender-reveal inspired dungeon. Finally, Episode III is entirely about the labor process, including a new multiplayer activity with customizable doulas.”
The post went on to outline Bungie’s plans for the maternity expansion, including a preview of what’s to come in each episode.
“While we understand your frustrations, we believe that trisecting the journey of motherhood will create three uniquely immersive experiences, rather than a single, drawn-out storyline.” Rice continued. “You have to keep in mind that this universe is years in the making. While the purchases may not feel worthwhile now, we promise that everything will narratively fall into place on the child’s 7th birthday. These things take time.”
OB/GYN and Destiny expert Bruce Forrester explained how this system is actually necessary for Winters to have a healthy pregnancy.
“It appears that repeated exposure to a particular stimulus while pregnant, in this case, purchasing micro-expansions, has the potential to rewire the brain and body to get used to and eventually depend on repeated exposure to said stimulus to maintain homeostasis,” explained Forrester. “As a Destiny player, Winters has already purchased enough microtransactions that it’s embedded into her DNA and by proxy the baby’s. Trying to have this baby without paying for each trimester could kill it.”
At press time, Bungie announced a change to their episodic release schedule, clarifying that postpartum depression will no longer be part of Episode III, but rather a new expansion entirely.
