The communities that build up around games like Destiny 2 can sometimes feel like a close-knit guild or even a family to some players. And the centerpiece of that camaraderie is often the community or PR managers, who interact with fans on a regular basis, host game-related events, and become recognizable faces of the company in media and interviews.
So when David Dague, or Bungie Community Manager DeeJ, shared that he would be leaving the studio after nearly a decade, it was understandably bittersweet. On his final visit to the company building on November 6, DeeJ filmed a goodbye video that he then shared on Twitter from his personal account.
In the farewell clip, the former community manager states that he has just turned in his badge and laptop, then goes on to thank everybody who helped make Destiny 2 such a success and declare that his time with Bungie had been an honor and a pleasure.
When DeeJ announced that “the next destination on my professional journey lies down another path,” he promised that he would not disappear from the community altogether. Destiny 2: Beyond Light, the game’s fifth expansion, is scheduled for release on November 10, and DeeJ planned to experience the new content with the player base. Keeping his word, in the farewell video, he points out the collector’s edition of Beyond Light held under his arm.
It hasn’t yet been revealed what the community manager’s next steps are or where he is headed, but that news will likely be forthcoming. At Bungie, one of the primary methods that DeeJ interfaced with the Destiny 2 community was through a weekly blog post titled “This Week at Bungie,” but he also hosted livestreams and other events, engaged with players on the game’s forums, and delivered development updates.
His impact on the community was pervasive and his presence will be sorely missed by many, so much so that one Destiny 2 fan created a goodbye video for DeeJ, over 21 minutes long, which thanked the exiting community manager and highlighted the many ways that he had touched the game’s player base over the years.
Recently, Destiny 2 players asked for a permanent memorial to the in-game character Hunter Vanguard Cayde-6, whose time in the game ended with the release of the Forsaken expansion. Perhaps something similar will be added to the game to commemorate the departure of the well-liked and long-time community manager.
Destiny 2 is available on PC, PS4, Stadia, and Xbox One, and PS5 and Xbox Series X versions will release on December 8, 2020.