The current Destiny 2-DLC “Lightfall” and the quiet Season 21 continue to face criticism. As a result, some streamers have already openly announced their intention to withdraw from the loot shooter in 2023. Some even prophesy an “apocalyptic demise” for the game and leave the supposedly sinking ship. However, a detailed analysis by an engaged player now shows a more nuanced and, above all, less dramatic picture.
The most important points at a glance
- The Destiny 2 DLC “Lightfall” and Season 21 are criticized, and some streamers have already announced their intention to withdraw from the game in 2023.
- However, an analysis shows that the decline in player numbers for Destiny 2 is just natural fluctuations.
- New games like Diablo IV and Remnant 2 also temporarily affect player numbers, which should not be overvalued, as Destiny 2 still has its dedicated players.
This criticism currently affects Destiny 2: Currently, interest in Destiny 2 is declining. On Steam interest in the loot shooter has decreased in recent weeks, and the criticism of Bungie’s current content is significant.
- Players criticize not only how “Lightfall” has conveyed its story but also the unpredictable Season 21 model, which is said to be “just not creative”.
- While the gameplay remains unmatched, the content is mostly garbage and too boring aside from the dungeons and raids. There is hardly anything to do.
- Additionally, players feel abandoned by Bungie in PvP and Gambit, and the current handling of microtransactions is also a thorn in the side of some.
All in all, Destiny 2 is currently in a difficult phase. However, that’s not a bad thing, but rather “a natural cycle” of the loot shooter, say players Merzats and StrangelyOnPoint. They provide hard data to show that it’s not as dramatic as some currently claim.
Steam analysis shows a more nuanced picture of the situation
This is what the two guardians analyzed: The goal of the two guardians Merzats and StrangelyOnPoint was to make the actual impacts of the supposed player drop in Destiny 2 understandable for others and to recognize the reasons behind this development.
- The analysis begins by looking at the temporal development of Steam player numbers on PC since the release of Destiny 2.
- All major events, such as the release of major expansions or all seasonal content, are taken into account.
- The detailed table ranges from Season 8 to the current Season 21 in its player evaluation.
In a waterfall chart on Reddit, it becomes clear that while the game is currently at a low point. However, compared to similar points in the past, this is not dramatic.
The decline in player numbers with “Lightfall” does not come abruptly or unexpectedly, but merely follows the entirely natural Destiny cycle and is not the end.
Other games are currently also interesting: Another important aspect raised in the thread is the impact of new game titles such as Diablo IV and Remnant 2, which have been released recently.
Many players have temporarily turned to other games, but still return to Destiny 2 to complete quests or play with friends. This regular switch between different games is typical behavior in the gaming community and does not necessarily reflect a decline of Destiny 2.
How the community judges the evaluation
The player FyreWulff finds the evaluation not informative enough: “Destiny 2 is available on 5 platforms. The Steam numbers, which allegedly only account for 17% of total players, are not sufficient for an analysis.”
If anything, one should use the Charlemagne statistic, as it includes player numbers from all platforms.
Only Steam data is verifiable: Indeed, the Charlemagne bot provides a current player population via Discord through the query “/analytics population”.
However, that is also not 100% informative. These numbers are not confirmed by the respective provider platforms like they are on Steam. Also, there is a complete lack of data for Epic, where Destiny 2 is now also available. Nevertheless, we have made a current query of the numbers for you.
TacoTrain89 states: “It’s the loud Reddit minority that is going crazy here again. As always, things get completely out of proportion, and then there are [journalists] like Paul Tassi, who [with his article] certainly doesn’t help.” referring to his recently published player number analysis.
objohn8769, on the other hand, has no problem if many long-term streamers now stop playing Destiny 2:
I agree that all YouTubers should leave. I feel that most of them have a negative impact on the game for regular players.
comments objohn8769 via Reddit
He seems to belong to the players who are now annoyed not by Destiny 2, but by the eternal doomsday fantasies regarding the game.
Rumpghost analyzes:
A lack of regular players does not necessarily indicate a loss of engaged players, but rather a lack of new engaged players. […] And there is an obvious pattern after seasons that has remained overall consistent. The new all-time high does not make the current low a proportionally lower boundary; it simply means that the all-time high is now higher. […] The decision to spend my time elsewhere has little to do with the quality of the game but a lot to do with the fact that my fellow players and I have a lot to do.
Centurion832, however, sees it all quite casually: “The sad thing is how the trend with “Lightfall bad/Destiny dead” is perceived. It’s a video game. If you enjoy it, play it. If not, do something else.”
According to the two guardians, the significance of player numbers should not be overvalued. Destiny 2 is a long-term project that continues to evolve. Player numbers can fluctuate.
This analysis shows that the “apocalyptic decline” of the game is likely an exaggeration and that Destiny 2 still has a solid base of engaged guardians who are looking forward to exciting content and a shared gaming experience.
Nevertheless, the future is uncertain: It remains to be seen how Destiny 2 will develop. The loot shooter definitely faces new challenges in 2023 to retain its old and new players in the long term. Especially since “The Final Shape” is far from being the end of Destiny, but the franchise has been around for almost 10 years.
The developers at Bungie may not talk to their players as much as they used to. Nevertheless, they remain committed to responding to community feedback. The new expansion, other content, and events could be a potential turning point to rekindle interest and enthusiasm among longtime players. Ultimately, it will depend on how Bungie masters this challenge to navigate successfully into the future.
How do you assess the significance of the in-depth analysis by the two guardians that looks more nuanced at the supposed player decline in Destiny 2? And what is your impression of the situation? Please feel free to share your thoughts and opinions directly in the comments.
By the way, it won’t be long before Bungie reveals what this first step into the new Destiny universe will look like:
Destiny 2: Everything about the DLC “The Final Shape” of 2024 and the big showcase
