Report Reveals More Destiny Plans, Including Destiny 2 Content Packs and Possible Spinoffs
After Bungie's mass layoffs, Destiny 2 fans were devastated at the news that there was never going to be a Destiny 3 and that expansions for Destiny 2 were called off. Now, we've gotten more insight from Forbes as to what's exactly going on with the series.
Destiny 2 Plans Revealed
A recent leak from insiders claimed that larger expansions were no longer coming to Destiny 2 as originally planned. Instead, it was reported that we would get smaller content drops. Now, we have more insight into what this means.
Larger content packs are coming. While not true expansions, they will include new destinations, raids, and campaigns — just on a smaller scale. These packs will come every six months and there will be smaller updates between them. The full scale and schedule for these are not yet known.
Developers are basically trying to avoid large, sprawling campaigns and create "replayable" activities instead.
Why Was Destiny 3 Canceled?
Payback is the name given to what was considered to be Destiny 3, a "spinoff" game in the same universe. New reports claim that it was shaping up well before it was canceled, including third-person elements and other features that were quite different from the main series. Nobody working on the project said it was a bad idea but it was definitely a "significant departure" from the main Destiny games.
Was a Destiny 3 that followed the usual elements ever in the works? Apparently no. It was considered a "big risk" in the gaming industry's current state. This is why developers were instead working on Payback and other spin-off games set in the Destiny universe, like a game with the codename Gummybears that had MOBA and platform fighter elements. Basically, the goal was to create fun Destiny-based games rather than a large and serious Destiny 3.
Destiny 3 was never in production in the first place.
Bungie doesn't plan on shuttering Destiny completely, however. It's currently unclear what the future of the series would look like but it seems as though developers plan to create fun games based in the Destiny IP. This could include mobile games.
So what makes Destiny so concerning in the gaming market? Apparently the playerbase for Destiny 2 is older than what Bungie hoped. It's not attracting a "young crowd" so new projects don't seem as lucrative to the company right now. So yeah, if you like Destiny you're clearly old AF.
What Is Happening Inside Bungie?
Since the layoffs, Forbes has reported that the employees no longer trust leadership. The team feels "lied to" since so much work went into The Final Shape, a massive, story-focused expansion that was said to be "make or break" for the Destiny squad. Now, higher-ups are claiming Marathon, the next large expansion, is "make or break," continuing to move the goalpost.
Right now, Destiny is stuck being a GaaS (or game as a service) forever. There won't ever be single-player Destiny experiences as it is now. Anything that wasn't a live service was axed, including Matter. The layoffs have left new player onboarding a bit frustrating and QA outsourced to people "unfamiliar with the basics of the game." Still, developers believe that they are still going to create great content for fans of the series and are hoping the community will continue to support them.
OLIVIA RICHMAN
Olivia is a long-time esports journalist and editor who covers just about every game but has a deep love for the FGC. Her goal is to find community-driven stories that bring a new perspective to the esports scene. In the past, she has worked for Team Liquid, Rogue, Inven Global, Dot Esports, Upcomer, and more. Outside of esports, Olivia enjoys Kirby, Pokemon TCG, Fallout, and writing science fiction. She can be found trying out new foods, traveling, or hanging out with her two orange cats. Fun fact: Olivia can do some video game and cartoon impressions!