Cross-platform character transfers have been a highly requested feature in Destiny 2, going back to the start of the franchise. As many fans may agree, the ability for players to transfer their Guardian from console to PC, from PS4 to Xbox One, or vice versa connects friends and communities in a meaningful way. Why Bungie didn't follow through with character transfers in Destiny 2 has been a mystery, but new information seems to make clear the root of the problem.

Speaking on the Kotaku Splitscreen podcast, news editor Jason Schreier attributed Destiny 2's lack of character transfers to one source: Sony. According to Schreier, Bungie "wanted to do character transfers" between platforms but Sony "wouldn't allow it." As for why, Sony apparently "wanted people to associate Destiny with PS4."

Sony and Activision have maintained a close partnership through the lifespan of the Destiny franchise. This partnership resulted in Bungie providing significant amounts of exclusive content on Sony's PS4 and extensive marketing efforts from Sony. It's understandable that Sony would be protective of that, but it's something else entirely to block the addition of a feature as large as cross-platform character transfers.

Sony's decision, while frustrating for Destiny players, is in-line with previous decisions made by the PlayStation company, as one could argue Sony's largely been the biggest opponent of the growing adoption of cross-platform play. Sony's current CEO Jim Ryan once spoke on cross-play, arguing that it's Sony's responsibility to keep players within their own curated PlayStation community.

destiny 2 screenshot

Understanding what may have prevented Bungie from implementing character transfers in the past also provides a glimpse of hope about Destiny's future. Now that Bungie is becoming independent of Activision, there's at the least the possibility that the Sony partnership deal could also end. Without the leverage of the partnership, Bungie will be able to implement character transfers, cross-saves, or even cross-play if it chooses to do so post-Destiny 2.

Destiny 2 is available now on PC, PS4, and Xbox One.

Source: Kotaku