Bungie’s trademark application could mean trouble for an existing Destiny-themed convention, however, as organizers of the annual GuardianCon event had no prior knowledge of DestinyCon and were not contacted prior to the filing.
Destiny is a multiplayer-oriented first-person shooter in which squadmates team up to take on a variety of combat-oriented missions across expansive otherworldly environments. Originally released in 2014, Destiny has seen multiple gameplay-overhauling expansions in the years since, including 2015’s The Taken King and 2016’s Rise of Iron.
Destiny‘s persistent cooperative multiplayer mechanics proved popular among fans and dedicated players regularly meet up in the game to progress through the storyline while grinding for rare weapons and armor. The game’s online community grew exponentially in the months after Destiny‘s launch, leading fans to organize Destiny Community Con, an unofficial gathering and expo event held annually in the United States.
Destiny Community Con was later forced to change its name to GuardianCon after the event caused “lots of blowback” for intellectual property owner Bungie, according to GuardianCon organizer Ben Broman. Broman asserts that the trademark application for DestinyCon simply serves as a way for Bungie to “protect their IP from any future confusion regarding events,” and believes that an actual DestinyCon event is unlikely to happen.
Regardless of whether or not DestinyCon becomes an actual convention, Broman assures that this year’s GuardianCon event is not canceled. GuardianCon 2017 will be held between June 30 and July 1 at the Florida State Fairgrounds Expo Hall in Tampa.
