Bungie says Destiny silver appeared on Steam 'in error'

Earlier this week, Destiny Silver, the currency used in the game's microtransaction system, went up for sale on Steam. It was only there briefly before being removed, and purchases were automatically refunded later in the day. But an obvious question remained unanswered: What was it doing there in the first place?

Bungie community manager David "DeeJ" Dague addressed the surprise silver on Twitter:

Destiny transactions on Steam were made available in error. All purchases will be refunded manually by Valve. Sorry for the confusion!August 15, 2017

But that doesn't really address the matter at hand, does it? As one user noted in a follow-up, "How do you sell microtransactions for a game that literally doesn't exist on PC?" To which DeeJ replied:

Spoiler: You don't.August 15, 2017

And that, so far, has been the end of it. But the mystery remains: Microtransactions aren't birds who occasionally fly into open windows, and especially not on platforms where the game they belong to doesn't actually exist. Which isn't to say that DeeJ's statement is inaccurate—I'm sure it's not—but what exactly is the "error" here?

Also interesting is the fact that while Destiny Silver is no longer purchasable on Steam, it's still listed in the SteamDB. I have once again reached out to Activision and Bungie for more information, and while I honestly don't expect a reply I will update if and when one is forthcoming.

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Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.