'Destiny' Game Release Date This Fall: Beta Will Launch On Xbox One, Xbox 360 In Late July

Bungie will launch a beta test for upcoming action role-playing game “Destiny” on Microsoft’s Xbox One and Xbox 360 consoles. If you already have the game pre-ordered, you’ll be able to participate in the beta.

“With its seamless blend of single-player, cooperative, and multiplayer action, Bungie’s ‘Destiny’ is one of the most intriguing Xbox One games of 2014,” Microsoft said on its Xbox blog Thursday. “When we had a chance to check out the game at E3 a few weeks ago, we had an absolute blast with the head-to-head multiplayer mode – known as Crucible in ‘Destiny’s’ parlance. The folks at Bungie have announced that the ‘Destiny’ beta will be landing on Xbox One and Xbox 360 in late-July for fans that pre-order the game.

Bungie ran the alpha test on Sony’s PlayStation 4 earlier this month starting on June 12. The alpha test was extended for several hours and closed Monday, June 16. The Bellevue, Washington develop later revealed more than 6 million games were played during the alpha’s five day run.

“Putting our Alpha out there lit a new kind of fire here at Bungie. It feels like we’ve been reborn. Putting alpha code out in the wild is always a risk; that build is ancient by our standards, riddled with content and bugs we’d never allow through to ship,” Bungie said on its blog June 20. “In many cases, the really rough and jagged edges had been hammered smooth long ago, making it all the more difficult to see them discovered, but in just as many others, there’s still work to do, and the only way to get it done is to let you touch down in our world to tear the place wide open.”

Though “Destiny” will launch September 9 for the Xbox One, Xbox 360, PS3 and PS4, it's rumored that Sony console users will have access to special content within the game, and “Destiny” will only be available for the PS3 and PS4 in Japan.

“Destiny” will take place 700 years in the future in a post-apocalyptic setting following a lucrative and successful period of exploration and peace called the Golden Age. The game is set in a universe where humans have colonized a number of livable planets in the solar system. However, a disastrous event known as “the Collapse” saw the mysterious destruction of these colonies, leaving mankind nearly extinct. When humans attempt to repopulate and recover after the Collapse, aggressive and dangerous alien races are discovered in various towns and cities. Players will have the task of investigating and destroying the aliens before the human race is entirely wiped out.

“Destiny” was referenced in 2009’s “Halo 3: ODST,” where a sign in the game read “Destiny Awaits” alongside a picture of Earth with an unknown orb floating nearby. Game features were accidentally leaked in November 2012, revealing plot ideas and concept art. Bungie followed up with the delivery of further details about “Destiny,” while expressing regret that game details were made public before expected.

The title was confirmed to be released on the PS4 and PS3 at the PS4 reveal event in February last year. Bungie also stated that both PlayStation versions would feature exclusive content. The release date of Sept. 9 was confirmed last December. The game's PlayStation beta will open July 17.