It almost feels like if Bungie did things the Bungie way, the first “Destiny” game in 2014 would still be alive and kicking.
“Destiny 2” as a live service will continue with ambitious plans through 2022, essentially removing any need for a sequel. All hopes of a “Destiny 3” went out the window. It’s a “new era for Destiny,” one that will be built inside the second game. The game’s developer and publisher made these announcements Tuesday in a live stream detailing the future of the series.
Bungie also promised that all the content players already own for “Destiny 2” will come with them to the next era of consoles, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X, at no extra charge. The game already features an ambitious cross-save feature; players who own copies across multiple platforms can access the same account. “Destiny 2” will also run at 60 frames per second at a 4K resolution on the next-gen consoles. Currently, the Xbox One X version runs at 30 frames per second at 4K.
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Bungie also promised inter-generational cross-play, meaning PlayStation 4 players will be able to play with PlayStation 5 owners when that console debuts, currently set for the 2020 holidays.
“We don’t want to start over from scratch and build a sequel,” said game director Luke Smith, a writer and former journalist. “In order to make a sequel, we would have to stop supporting ‘Destiny 2.’ It would effectively go dark."
Bungie also announced its next annual expansion for “Destiny 2” called “Beyond Light,” releasing Sept. 22. It will take place on the Jupiter Moon of Europa. The expansion is bringing back old locations from the first 2014 game. And through 2021 and 2022, Bungie promised two new expansions, “The Witch Queen” and “Lightfall” respectively.
Through the next few years, Bungie will also “vault” certain parts of “Destiny 2,” essentially reducing the size of the game by removing old and unnecessary missions to make room for new ones. Old story missions will make room for the three new destinations being added through 2022. Smith said the old destinations will be reworked while being “vaulted,” and may be reintroduced again later.
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“Destiny 2” already operates on a seasonal basis, similar to the business model popularized by games like “Fortnite.”
“The game is too large to efficiently update and maintain,” said general manager Mark Noseworthy. “We’re on track to be a 150 gigabytes on PlayStation alone. ... We don’t want to have that loss of continuity."
It might be a surprise to learn that Bungie, the heralded creators of the “Halo” series, are actually an independent studio. It toiled for years as a Microsoft studio pumping out “Halo” games, before switching to mega-publisher Activision before the release of “Destiny” in 2014.
The 2014 release of “Destiny” heralded an important turning point in online gaming. It ushered in the “live service” era of games, spawning many competitors like Ubisoft’s “The Division” series and EA’s famously blundered attempt with “Anthem.” At the time, Activision and Bungie boasted a “10-year-plan” for the first “Destiny” game, an ambitious claim that proved to be false three years later with Activision’s release of “Destiny 2” in 2017. Fans who remembered the promise were upset and confused. In a dramatic turn of events last year, Bungie separated itself from Activision, ending an eight-year business relationship.
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Meanwhile, Activision is continuing its strategy of annualizing its blockbuster “Call of Duty” franchise. "Call of Duty: Modern Warfare” was 2019′s biggest hit and is the most popular in the franchise from this past generation. The game’s size has also ballooned well past its initial 100-gig state, adding more features but taking up lots of hard disk space. The next “Call of Duty” is already scheduled for later this year (although being developed by a different studio).
“We don’t want to put another number on the box," Smith said in Tuesday’s announcement.
Bungie is making all the right calls here. The vanilla “Destiny 2” game has been free since last fall, offering a visually stunning, technically impressive and popular massively multiplayer online first-person shooter. While vaulting some old content may turn off a few players, Bungie seems intent on bringing as many players under its tent as possible first.
Smith and Noseworthy seem to recognize that “Destiny 2” is Bungie’s best bet for now. Even Smith admits that the last year of independence has been rocky, particularly in bringing brand new content while maintaining balance issues. Last year’s “Shadowkeep” wasn’t terrible, but it didn’t bring new enemies and gameplay to the table, instead resurrecting an old map. However, players no longer question whether there’s an umbrella organization like Activision breathing down Bungie’s neck and forcing its hand.
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Last year’s “free” version of the game was called “Destiny: New Light.” Sooner or later, Bungie will have to determine how much further it will expand this game. Last year, critics said it made sense to rebrand the game out of its sequel state. More than ever, “Destiny 2” feels like the “Destiny” Bungie wanted in the first place.
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