The eagerly anticipated sequel to 2014’s Destiny is due to hit shelves in September this year and, as one of the best online multiplayer first-person shooters of recent times, players are already bursting with excitement for the new offering from Bungie, which is being released by Activision. Destiny was extremely successful and accrued over $500 million in day one and pre-order sales. Destiny 2 will doubtlessly boost the young franchise even further, but wouldn’t it be wise for the developers to also create content for other platforms to attract even more players?

Cover Image Source: Destiny via Facebook

There are numerous highly successful game franchises that have done well from diversifying. By crossing multiple platforms, it not only attracts gamers from different genres, it also helps to establish and build a better reputation for the franchise that can help to sell more upcoming games.

A lot of games now try to tap into the console, mobile, and iGaming markets simultaneously. Some of the best online casino games for fun are based on themes from existing console and mobile games or borrow inspiration from them; the Arcade Bomb slot machine on the Guts website is a good example of the latter but Tomb Raider and Hitman are both major franchises that have branched out to the booming online casino industry and profited from it.

Tomb Raider is one of the oldest game franchises in existence but publishers Square Enix are still going to great lengths to make sure that their product gets to modern audiences in varying formats. Along with the rebooted console games Tomb Raider: The Definitive Edition and Rise of the Tomb Raider, there is also a mobile puzzle game called Lara Croft Go and an online slot game called Lara Croft Tomb Raider.

These games provide a totally different experience to fans of each of the genres. The console games provide detailed storyline and adventure, while the mobile game is a unique turn-based strategic platformer that incorporates the crypt exploring theme of the main titles. The slot game uses themes from the other games, such as searching for ancient artefacts in the side game, but it is also a traditional slot machine that features spinning reels and gives players the chance to win money by matching symbols. By playing one of the different games in the franchise, this can often lead players to try the other games.

The Hitman franchise was also published by Square Enix, which is why it has followed the same formula as Tomb Raider by getting titles onto as many platforms as possible. And the numbers support the fact that this is a strong business model for the developer. The online gambling industry which slot games are a part of will be worth $47 billion in 2017 and mobile gaming app revenue amounted to $41.5 billion in 2016. With blockbuster films made for both Hitman and Tomb Raider as well, Square Enix is setting the standard for marketing its franchises.

Activision has been responsible for some hugely successful game franchises such as Call of Duty, Crash Bandicoot, and Skylanders, and may feel as though there is no need to expand the Destiny franchise in the same way as the Square Enix titles. There is an argument, though, that the developers should branch out onto other platforms to appease their fans. The popularity of the original suggests that players of that would also like to play the game in other ways. The highly original storyline about the Guardians protecting Earth’s last safe city is also something that could translate to film successfully.