Destiny producer's secret message took 17 years to surface

Destiny producer Jonty Barnes hid a secret message in Dungeon Keeper in 1997, and thanks to the tireless efforts of GOG it has finally come to light.

The message is hidden in Dungeon Keeper's executable and reads as follows:

"I look around the office ... All I see are the tired pale faces of the Keeper team. After sixteen hours a day, 7 days a week, for nearly 5 months… this game has been written with a passion I am proud to be a part of. I do not just hope you like it, I also hope you are aware of the huge amount of work we have all done. Sleep is due to me... And I have a dream to live."

GOG unearthed the message as it prepared Dungeon Keeper for re-release, and recently flagged it with Polygon. The site got in touch with Barnes just as the Destiny beta kicked off to ask him about the text.

Barnes confirmed the message was his, and said he hadn't seen it for 17 years.

"It's funny. I'm feeling similar with Destiny. Both games have taken absolutely everything I have to give. Both I'm very proud to be part of. Both have changed my life," the Bungie production director said.

Dungeon Keeper was the last Bullfrog game produced with Peter Molyneux at the team's head. You can grab Dungeon Keeper on GOG; almost two decades on it's still more fun than the new mobile version, which is legally obliged not to call itself free-to-play.