He first appears in the 2014 video game Destiny as a supporting non-player character with a leadership role within the player-aligned Guardians, protectors of Earth's last safe city against various alien threats.

Cayde-6's overall characterization and the events surrounding his death, as well as Bungie's handling of the story content of Destiny 2 which include several pivotal scenes that focus on the character, drew a wide array of reactions from both critics and players.

[1] The original individual Cayde-6 is based on a person who agreed to be turned into an Exo as a result of his debts, and who in life wrote several apologetic journal entries addressed to his son.

[2] His name indicates that prior to the events of the Destiny video game series, Cayde-6 has been rebooted six times, which includes the moment he was awoken by his Ghost Sundance as a Guardian, the protectors of Earth's last safe city for humanity.

[1] After the Collapse, a cataclysmic event that ended the golden age of human civilization, the Exo is revived by a Ghost, a small robotic companion derived from an inscrutable celestial being known as the Traveler, and becomes a Guardian.

[5] Popular culture depictions of the undead, the Terminator franchise's titular cyborg enforcers, and Halo's Master Chief were among the sources of inspiration for the visual language of Exo characters.

[5] In the original story draft for 2014's Destiny early in its development, a character known the Crow possessed similar "rogueish and charming" personality traits as Cayde-6's characterization as seen in the 2015 expansion The Taken King.

Like many other members of the cast, Bungie gifted Fillion a commemorative prop themed after the character he portrayed, which recreates the appearance of Cayde-6's signature weapon, the Ace of Spades hand cannon.

During an interview, Project lead Scott Taylor noted that Cayde-6 was ultimately chosen to be permanently retired because the character occupies a "really unique place" in the Destiny universe.

[10] Citing the need to be less conservative with taking creative risks in spite of the character's popularity, he explained that the choice to kill off Cayde-6 specifically was not arbitrary in nature but rather to motivate players to feel a personal connection to the quest for revenge that drives the narrative of Forsaken.

He sends the player character to the dreadnaught using modified stealth technology and Morn's special ship, where the main weapon is destroyed to make way for the establishment of a beachhead.

He continues to play an active role within the war effort and often leads strike teams against the Guardians' enemies, although he is frequently depicted as a comic relief character who lacks competence.

[38] Tom Power from Games Revolution observed that while Cayde-6 had remained largely popular throughout his appearances as a source of comic relief, he reported that some players found some of his jokes in Destiny 2 "felt forced".

On the other hand, Burford was highly critical of what he perceived to be Cayde-6's flanderization from Destiny 2 onwards, and that his comic relief traits have been greatly exaggerated to a point where he is "a jester meant to take pratfalls for our amusement".

Bungie's senior community manager took to social media in response, and asked fans to refrain from spoiling content as well as purchasing what is meant to be a free gift from resellers and dataminers.

[47][48][49] GamesRadar staff described the character's permanent departure from the Tower hub area and subsequent death as a turning point for the narrative of Destiny 2 with its return to the first game's darker tone.

He felt that there was no gravitas or purpose with the character's death as his likeability had been severely undermined by Bungie in his previous appearances, and that the extensive advertising which promoted the imminent demise of Cayde-6 had further reduced the dramatic impact.

Writing for Forbes, Paul Tassi questioned whether Bungie's decision was a good one as it effectively erases the pivotal moments of the character's appearances to the detriment of new players and their experiences.