J.R.R. Tolkien's epic fantasy tome Lord of the Rings is regarded as one of the deepest and most finely crafted fantasies ever written. Achieving a similar level of depth and breadth is a goal that Bungie has in mind for its soon-to-be-released shooter, Destiny, according to Activision Publishing CEO Eric Hirshberg. Speaking with Wired as part of a fascinating feature about Bungie's origins and its Halo history, Hirshberg says Bungie has a ten-year plan in mind for Destiny, which begins with the game's release on September 9.

"I think a lot of franchises get built game-to-game, or month-to-month--the moment really determines the momentum of the franchise," he said. "Bungie aren't just thinking about the content that goes on the first disc; they're thinking about a ten-year story. They're thinking about a Lord of the Rings-sized narrative. How do you build a lasting franchise? How do you design something that, from day one, is built to last?"

This is actually not the first time Destiny has been mentioned in comparison to Lord of the Rings by someone working on the game. Last year, Bungie COO Pete Parsons said Destiny has the potential to surpass the cultural impact of Halo and sit on people's shelves alongside popular works like Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, or Star Wars.

In 2010, Bungie signed a 10-year, exclusive publishing deal with Activision for a new franchise that we now know is Destiny.

Destiny's launch next week is just the beginning for the game, Bungie says. The developer has extensive post-release plans for the game, which include at least three main expansions, the first of which is called The Dark Below. That expansion launches in December.

GameSpot will have more on Destiny next week. For now, check out our previous coverage.

Eddie Makuch is a news editor at GameSpot, and you can follow him on Twitter @EddieMakuch

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