Bungie begins Destiny 2 stream with Black Lives Matter tribute

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Eight minutes and 46 seconds of silence for George Floyd

Bungie Black Lives Matter statement during Destiny 2 stream
(Image credit: Bungie)

Bungie began its long-awaited Destiny 2 live stream with a powerful message for George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter movement: over eight minutes of silence. Watch the video here. 

After a brief video detailed how the Bungie team has worked through the COVID-19 pandemic, the clock counted down to the presumed start of the debut. But instead of a video showing off new Destiny 2 content, the screen read: "8 minutes 46 seconds. This marks the time in which George Floyd was killed." 

As the timer counted down, the message continued. "Restrained by law enforcement / A knee bearing down on his neck / As he cried out for help /"I can't breathe" / As we watched... / Our eyes wide open to injustice / NOW AN ENTIRE COMMUNITY CRIES OUT." Then, a reminder that "we need to do more" than just learn about these racial injustices - we need to act against them. The tribute concluded with links to several organizations including the official page for Black Lives Matter and The Antiracist Research & Policy Center. 

In addition to this strong statement that asks gamers to take the time to think about privilege and the way race is treated in modern society, Bungie has also previously announced that it would be making financial contributions to the organizations listed in the video, and matching donations made by anyone on the Bungie team.

Bungie joins other organizations like EA and Microsoft, who just today added Black Lives Matter statements to FIFA 20 and Gears 5.

Here's all the game studios who have shared support for Black Lives Matter. 

Alyssa Mercante
Alyssa Mercante
Former Features Writer

Alyssa Mercante used to be a features writer at GamesRadar+ and is now a freelance writer and editor. Prior to entering the industry, she got her Masters's degree in Modern and Contemporary Literature at Newcastle University with a dissertation focusing on contemporary indie games. She spends most of her time playing competitive shooters and in-depth RPGs and was recently on a PAX Panel about the best bars in video games. In her spare time Alyssa rescues cats, practices her Italian, and plays soccer.