Bungie's Destiny series has been the subject of countless memes over the years, and Destiny players sharing comedy show no signs of slowing down on social media. Twitter's nature as an open forum allows for even official brand accounts to engage with fans.
A fan of Bungie's Destiny 2 has caught the attention of both the Bungie and Xbox social media teams, with both official accounts interacting with the user on Twitter. The user, who goes by "Destiny Pants Man", built a following by using an image editing program to edit pants onto Destiny characters.
The official Xbox Twitter account replied to a meme created by Destiny Pants Man, with the meme asserting that Destiny Pants Man will edit pants onto every new character Bungie adds to the game. The Xbox account's reply suggested the idea of a Wyvern in pants, which Destiny Pants Man quickly quote retweeted with the completed edit. The Xbox account replied again, showing another character with jeans and suspenders edited over the character's body, to which the official Destiny 2 account jokingly voiced concern that other brand accounts were joining in on the meme. After the Destiny account's "hacking" stunt earlier this year, the regular community interactions resuming give players like Destiny Pants Man a direct avenue for interaction with the game's Twitter representatives.
The Xbox Twitter account is known for getting in on community memes, even going so far as to mock itself for community concerns that Xbox may be paying community members to promote Xbox Game Pass. The Destiny 2 account has also replied directly to Destiny Pants Man before, showing that the community managers realize the meme is both good marketing and good community fun. Editing pants onto Destiny characters may be a strange way to show support for a game, but it is ultimately harmless and gives the game more exposure.
Not every community interaction over Twitter is positive, however. Development social media managers and development team members can be bullied off Twitter if players dislike changes to the games they are involved with. Fortunately for Destiny 2 and Xbox Game Pass, the properties are widely respected by gamers, so harassment and hate is minimal at least for the moment.
These interactions between brand accounts are common, and draw attention to both the memes and the brands the accounts are representing, making for a combination of positive community interaction and marketing despite some brand accounts' twisted approach to comedy. In the end, the accounts exist mainly to provide updates about the state of the games or brands they represent, but brand accounts are well known on Twitter for getting in on memes and providing a tangible presence for the community.