Fans with over 1000 hours in Destiny 1 refuse to pre-order Destiny 2. Why?
It is quite curious. The biggest fans of Destiny 1 are currently the biggest critics of Destiny 2. Why is that?
What is Destiny?
Destiny is a game defined by its contradictions:
- it released to mixed reviews and became a worldwide success, despite the same gaming press that tore it apart in reviews writing about it for months
- Destiny has a notoriously bad story, but fantastic gameplay
- despite being so successful and important for Activision, there has been a content drought since November 2015. Hardly anything has happened with the game since then.
The most important contradiction: Destiny is a huge commercial product intended for everyone, yet there is a loyal fanbase that loves it above all and has made the game “their game”.
This fanbase has kept Destiny alive for years despite all its problems. This fanbase ensures that Destiny is one of the most profitable console games in a year when hardly anything has happened.
This fanbase is the source of many stories and news in Destiny. They have ensured that Destiny has been consistently in the media for years.
Bungie and Activision proudly point to this “hardcore” group, this fanbase. They say that their passion for Destiny motivates them. Their feedback is crucial and drives them. They invite their streamers and YouTubers to their events. One of the most important figures from this community has even been hired and made their community manager.
However: This fanbase is very different from the target audience for which Activision is now developing Destiny 2. And this leads to problems.
Who are the hardcore Destiny fans?
This fanbase has overcome all obstacles over the years and it is they who represent the success of Destiny for many core players:
- Fans have studied the Grimoire cards to reveal the fantastic world behind the story of Destiny
- through Facebook and group tools, they have compensated for the lack of matchmaking – huge player communities have formed there
- They have even conducted experiments and shot at walls for hours to decipher all hidden statistics in the game mechanics
- The lack of content was addressed by searching for years for the “perfect optimized gear”, looking for weapons with specific random perks
- They repeated the little content that existed until they could defeat it with closed eyes or the most absurd handicaps
- They have searched for hidden secrets in Destiny for years
- since there was nothing happening in PvE, they focused on PvP, particularly on the Trials of Osiris
- and they contributed to the creation of a community around streamers and YouTubers who kept Destiny alive even in the darkest times
How Bungie is developing past the core fans
Bungie likes to point out how important this fanbase is to them. Still, with Destiny 2, they are developing away from this fanbase:
- With the removal of “random perks” on weapons, they scared the community – that was what players had been engaged with for years
- Moreover, there are not the improvements that core players have wanted for years: 60 FPS and dedicated servers
- Changes to PvP that make Destiny 2 generally slower are not well received by core players
- also, Bungie respects the commitment and investments in Destiny 1 very little: What was purchased in the Eververse is gone in Destiny 2
- also, the Trials of Osiris, the driving force for many players, are temporarily on hold; the switch to 4vs4 feels strange
Instead, Activision and Bungie want to emphasize other things in Destiny 2:
- they announced that Destiny 2 would become broader and more accessible – for this, the PC port should help
- Destiny 2 should not be a time sink, but should fit comfortably with real life
- everything in the game should be explained, so that players do not need to go to community pages
- Destiny 2 is now to become the “story shooter” that part 1 never was, to attract new target groups
- content supply should be ensured through collaboration with other studios
All these decisions have led to an absurd situation: players who have spent over 1000 hours in Destiny 1 are now refusing to pre-order Destiny 2 and are skeptical about whether it is still “their” game.
When looking at Bungie’s decisions, this can be understood.
Will “Space Magic” work a second time?
The question is: Can Destiny 2, despite all these problems, win back the core players? Ultimately, we will only know when it launches.
Because the “magic” of Destiny requires that it be played. In the “dry” state, as now, Destiny 2 is a sum of decisions and contradictions that make little sense.
The much-talked-about Space Magic, the magic of Destiny, only arises when the game is running, when gameplay and social aspects come into play. When friends log in, when it’s fun to shoot an alien, when curious stories spread, and the loot sparkles.
Only then will it be decided whether the pull of Destiny 2 is strong enough to bring back core players. However, it would be nice if Activision and Bungie could take a step or two towards the core of their player base that they claim to value so much.
The question is whether the “new target audience” will really engage with Destiny 2 as hoped. A large part of the success will depend on whether they can win back “former players” of Destiny a second time. This fanbase is crucial, as their passion can inspire others, create curious stories, and contribute to the “Space Magic”.
Read more about the changes in Destiny 2 here:
Destiny 2: What is new in PvE? – All information about the PvE content
