Destiny web site hints at beta access through pre-orders

Early access to Bungie's next game, the "shared world shooter" Destiny, may be coming in the form of a beta available to those who pre-order the game.

According to text on the official Destiny website spotted by a Reddit user, players can "pre-order Destiny at select retailers and receive admission to the Destiny Beta." That text appears to have been scrubbed from the Destiny website after the discovery, but still appears in Google's cache. A post on Reddit indicated that the pre-order messaging appeared only on the U.K. and Canada versions of the site.

None of the official retailers listed on the Destiny website, which includes Amazon, Best Buy, GameStop, Target and Walmart in the U.S., mention beta access as an incentive to pre-order the game. Bungie and publisher Activision have not made any official announcements regarding beta access through pre-orders. We've contacted Activision for confirmation.

Bungie put out the call for alpha and beta testers for Destiny earlier this year through its User Research program.

Destiny is planned for release on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Xbox One and PlayStation 4 next year.