Destiny 2 has had fewer players in the last 30 days. On the one hand, because there is always less going on at the end of a season. But also likely because the layoffs and cancellations have led to a loss of trust for some guardians. Bungie is under pressure and it could get even worse in season 23.
Why are player numbers currently declining? At the end of a season, player numbers in Destiny 2 always drop. This is nothing new. But this time it’s different.
- The current numbers are already partially impacting endgame PvP, where it sometimes takes a long time to find a match with enough players.
- However, PvP has always been a part of Destiny that actually always worked, even when there was little going on in PvE and the seasons.
The Forbes author Paul Tassi and Destiny expert is correspondingly concerned. He pointed out that the game is showing the lowest number of players on Steam in the last 30 days. And this is in a season that wasn’t even the worst in terms of its content in the current DLC year.
He thinks something needs to change, but he also fears that it will get much worse before it gets better.
The upcoming DLC has a clear call to all guardians:
Bungie faces tough challenges
That’s why some players have abandoned their fate: The DLC “Lightfall” was criticized by some players in February 2023 and received poor ratings on Steam. The story was a huge cliffhanger and left too many questions unanswered.
Although the “Lightfall” seasons included some explanations for the story afterward, this did not bring some players back. They expected to experience the end of the story in the “Lightfall” campaign and not in the subsequent and paid seasons.
There were still new contents, like seasonal activities, weapons, and armor. But the core of the game changed little. For all those who have been playing Destiny 2 for a long time, it didn’t feel motivating enough after 6 years. Especially when Bungie also recycles. The detour to other, new games was much more enticing.
At the end of October, there were cutbacks at Bungie. Not only were jobs lost here. The trust of the community was also shaken again and players canceled their pre-orders for “The Final Shape” in protest.
So there are several reasons that could explain why the number of players is currently so low. At least according to the statistics that can be actively tracked via Steam.
This is the current status of player numbers
According to the statistics from Steam, an average of 34,816 players played Destiny 2 in the last 30 days. The highest number of players was 59,076. Both values represent a low point since the initial release of the game on Steam.
In comparison: When the DLC “Lightfall” was released, Destiny 2 had 316,651 players to record the highest number of concurrent players of all time.
The website Destiny Tracker emphasizes, however, that it currently only looks so bad on Steam. There are still over 100,000 players across all platforms. However, there’s not a lot of context on whether that is enough for Bungie.
Paul Tassi suspects: If the developer were still independent, the performance of the game this year would probably have endangered the entire company. It is equally unclear to him what long-term effects this development will have on the relationship with Sony.
Can Destiny 2 recover? This is currently completely open. Destiny is special, but also the content fatigue of players over the years is a part of the game that cannot be denied.
The game lives on its updates. Without updates, there is no game. If the postponement of the upcoming DLC “The Final Shape” is confirmed, players will probably have to make do with very little content for an additional six to seven months.
Time that players also want to give Bungie. They want to be excited again by a grand release with “The Final Shape”. However, this upcoming expansion also marks the official end of the Light and Darkness saga in Destiny 2. There is also the danger that players will automatically drop out afterward.
A risk remains, so Bungie will need clear strategies to regain the trust of players and steer their game back in a successful direction. Whether it’s about restructuring content, redesigning reward systems, or introducing innovative features – time will ultimately decide the fate.
How do you assess the future of Destiny 2 in light of current difficulties? What changes or improvements would need to be made for you to enjoy Destiny 2 again? Feel free to share your opinion in the comments.
Recycling is also something many don’t like about Destiny 2: Destiny 2 presents a brand new exotic weapon that unfortunately is already 9 years old
