Bungie has, in a very straightforward manner, instantly and openly, just released the official soundtrack of the last chapter of Destiny 2: Renegades, to the public via their YouTube channel. With the announcement came a simple notification: ‘Music worthy of a Renegade,’ and a link through which the Guardians could immediately jump into the listening experience. This has been the score that played even amidst the turbulence of the most recent game episodes, and now you can crank it up without firing a single shot.
To put it another way, the music is there already. At this exact moment. On YouTube. However, if you check the replies on Bungie’s tweet, the mighty, repeated demand from the players—similar to a choir—will manifest from the community. It is not only the quality of the music that is getting the highest of praises which indeed it is—however, the issue of where can they actually, you know, hear it better is more pressing. The desire is expressed clearly and is everywhere: When is it going to be available on Spotify and Apple Music?
A user by the name of Revived kindly mirrored the atmosphere by saying ‘Renegades soundtrack hits different’ as a mere reflection of the community’s sentiment. And there are others besides him. One more, Kojo, replied to Revived with ‘literally have it on as I type this,’ which indicates that people are already joining in the fun. But this party is still pretty dimmed by the big, commonly asked question. Distel was the one to first declare ‘fella when Spotify,’ and M1dnight Arrow and Viridian Archer were no slowpokes trailing behind with identical requests. There are really crystal clear and extremely simple demands from the community. They want it on their favorite streaming platforms like yesterday.
This demand is not restricted only to the streaming. There are many gamers who are asking for a physical or downloadable version as well. Robert Gough, aka SilentWraith87, described the situation as ‘Awesome, now we just need it along with all the other soundtracks.’ This remark triggered a little argument in the comments regarding the difference between access and ownership, with Ray Steelscale arguing that it is ‘No point paying for content if another company continues to control your access to it.’ He is raising quite an important question, isn’t he? When you buy an expansion, you almost become the owner of it. Isn’t it the same with music? Other users like Aido and Cynyc89 are practically tagging the Bungie Store, inquiring for a specific date.
However, player fireworks are going off unmistakably. Diffizzle tweeted ‘Been waiting for this one’ and attached a promotional video, while HavocMaker dubbed it a ‘Christmas miracle.’ Besides, an artistically very interesting thought came to the mind of a player Skater, who proposed that Bungie could create a ‘World of Destiny’ live orchestral concert event. Just try to visualize that—Destiny music of ten years played in a gigantic auditorium. That would be… okay, that would definitely be insane.
But let’s go back to the main point. By releasing it on YouTube first, Bungie’s strategy is smart since it provides free and instant access. Anyone who wishes to do so can check it out right now without having any subscriptions. The link is in the tweet. For many, this is the most suitable solution. On the other hand, for the hardcore players who are always on Spotify or in need of buying the files, this might come across as a tease of possession. A really good tease that can’t get into their daily mix.
It is a typical modern gaming dilemma. The whole content is there and it’s of the highest quality—Gro3 said ‘this soundtrack goes harder than expected. good work’—but the way it’s delivered makes part of the audience somewhat dissatisfied. The comments are mainly, in fact, almost entirely, about distribution rather than the tracks themselves. When will it be where they want it?
This is nothing new in the case of video game soundtracks, but given the fact that the Destiny 2 music has a major role in the branding—who can forget the creepy effect of the Deep Stone Lullaby or the Riven theme—there is a high demand for official, easy-to-access releases. Gamers are now used to the situation where these great scores are always available to them,, whether it be for physical training, commuting, or just as background ambiance.
So what’s the moral? The Destiny 2: Renegades soundtrack is indeed on YouTube, it is officially released and belongs to the public domain. It gets some recognition. However, the actual scenario is the overpowering and signaling community that YouTube is merely the first stage. They are ready to stream, buy and make it really loud. It is now up to Bungie to announce the dates for Spotify, Apple Music and direct store availability for platforms like PlayStation and Xbox.
