During the ongoing and extensive renovations at Destiny 2, fans often felt unheard and overlooked. Some changes seemed to be developed without regard for the desires of the Guardians. However, the community’s criticism is now having an effect. Bungie is visibly striving for more transparency and better communication.
Some time ago, we addressed the question of whether Bungie really listens to the community. Too often, implementing Bungie’s emergency plan gave the impression that the concerns and wishes of the fans were falling on deaf ears.
There was a recurring feeling that valuable feedback was ignored and many of the changes were being developed without consideration for the fans’ wishes. It could no longer be denied that Bungie simply does not involve the community closely enough in the optimization process of the game.
However, since the list of remaining innovations and changes for the beleaguered Destiny 2 has become shorter and the hoped-for turnaround in the game is still awaited, Bungie’s attitude has apparently fundamentally changed.
Bungie becomes more transparent and improves communication
With its back against the wall, Bungie seems to have finally recognized the problem. While the studio had previously insisted almost mantra-like that they listen to fans, only recently has this statement gained real value.
With an official job advertisement , Bungie is now actively looking for an engaged gameplay expert from the ranks of the community. This person will work with Bungie’s developers to ensure that the feedback and wishes of the community are integrated into the further development and optimization of Destiny 2.
It is not unlikely that more than just one bright mind from the Guardian community will support the developers. With Datto and Slayerage, there are even some prominent and knowledgeable candidates.
In response to the complaints from fans that Bungie is not adequately addressing or even recognizing the core problems of the game, such as the current weapon system or the monotonous loot, the studio ultimately reacted to the surprise of many Guardians: They are well aware of these issues and want to re-establish Destiny 2 as a hobby.
Random rolls and weapon slots are very high on Bungie’s priority list. Soon, definitive answers from Bungie regarding these issues are expected, as they owe the players these responses.
Bungie is finally seeking dialogue with fans
Now, Bungie is not only communicating unilaterally – the studio is finally looking to engage in dialogue with fans and making them feel heard and, above all, involved.
Recently, community manager Cozmo posted a discussion list on Reddit outlining the most significant criticisms and urgent suggestions for improvement that Bungie has heard from players so far. The list currently includes the following points:
- Changes to weapon slots
- Implementation of random rolls
- Increased significance for duplicates
- Reduction of time to kill
- More unique rewards in the form of weapons and armor pieces
- Secrets and hidden quests
- Collectibles
- More challenging and difficult activities
- More powerful exotics
- Direct access to certain activities (PvP game modes or specific strikes)
- Longer progression systems and quest lines (reason to grind)
- More storage space in the vault and other storage options
- More customization options for subclasses
- Power level changes (players should feel powerful again)
Cozmo emphasizes that this is not a comprehensive list of all problems and wishes, and asks the Guardians to add any important aspects that may be missing.
Although this list is not a promise but rather a summary of what Bungie has heard from fans over time, Cozmo will pass this list on word for word to the developers to ensure there are no misunderstandings about what the community genuinely wants.
Sven says: This (rare for Bungie) form of communication is definitely a step forward in their previous handling of fan feedback and marks another important step in the right direction. There is finally an exchange of opinions instead of a one-sided monologue.
If the studio indeed collaborates consistently with the community in optimizing Destiny 2 and maintains the urgently needed dialogue in the future, Bungie’s infamous Plan C may finally be a thing of the past. Thus, Bungie could ultimately create a gaming experience that the community longs for so much.
What do you think about this? Will this be the beginning of a close collaboration at eye level, or is Bungie merely attempting to present itself in the best possible light just before the release of the 2nd expansion?
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