The developer of Destiny 2, Bungie, has skipped the weekly update and instead sent a message to the players. They address the negative developments of the past week, when deep layoffs in the studio were announced, and explain how things will proceed.
Here are the key points in the statement: Instead of “This Week at Bungie”, the developers published “Our Path Forward” (via bungie):
- Bungie acknowledges mistakes and states that they recognize the feedback regarding the 2023 expansion Lightfall, the last seasons, and “The Final Shape”. They know that they have lost a lot of trust from the players. Destiny needs to offer more joy and surprise. They have not done enough in this regard. This will change.
- Bungie says that 650 people are still working on Destiny 2, with energy and experience: They want to provide the players with the finale they deserve.
- The goal, says Bungie, is that the 2024 expansion “The Final Shape” provides an unforgettable Destiny experience, like Forsaken, The Witch Queen, and The Taken King.
The Final Shape is meant to be bigger, brighter, bolder
What’s next? Bungie says that more information will be available in the coming weeks. In the short term, they want to reveal what will happen with the new season that will be announced in November:
After that, we will start introducing our new vision for The Final Shape: It is meant to be bigger, bolder, and brighter. We plan to build a bridge that will lead us all from darkness into light.
What’s missing? The postponement of The Final Shape from February 2024 to June 2024, as reported consistently by Bloomberg and IGN, has still not been announced. However, a postponement seems almost inevitable based on the announcement of a “greater vision”.
Why does Bungie sound like someone has died? In recent days, it became known first through insider reports from within the studio and later through a tweet from the CEO that there have been mass layoffs at Bungie. According to the reports, player interest in Destiny 2 has collapsed in 2023. The pre-order numbers for “The Final Shape” are also said to be poor.
Allegedly, Bungie is also critical of the current version of “The Final Shape”: It is “good, not great,” was reported from the studio.
Particularly many players were outraged by how harsh and heartless the layoffs are said to have been:
Destiny 2: Insider report casts a gloomy light on Bungie’s inner workings – Thoughts on Destiny 3
