Bungie had announced four Seasons for Destiny 2. But now it seems there may not be time for a fourth Season at all. Does this indicate a shift in the schedule?
Bungie is once again being cryptic. Right now, when they are communicating more openly. It seemed like everything was clear and well thought out. But new developments show: The Seasons, which were supposed to guarantee long-term motivation in Destiny 2, will likely be distributed unevenly.
Seasons and DLCs – Bungie’s big content plans
Activision had promised us regular updates and content expansions for Destiny 2, after things got stuck with Destiny 1 back in November 2015.
Bungie aimed to achieve this through regular “Seasons” and paid DLCs. They immediately sold an Expansion Pass at release.
For the first year of Destiny 2, two paid DLCs and four Seasons were announced. Within these Seasons, there should be certain items and rewards that would then change.
The plan for Seasons was to keep the game and long-term motivation fresh.
The Seasons reset Clan progress and bring a new weapon balance. The weapons themselves also change. Additionally, the cash shop will be restocked, events will come, and perhaps new Crucible maps. A lot was planned. The Seasons were meant to keep Destiny 2 fresh and break long periods of stagnation like in Destiny 1.
We now know when the DLCs will come: in December and in May. But what about the Seasons? How long does a Season last and how long does Year 1 of Destiny 2 last?
1 Year – 4 Seasons – then a Season lasts 90 days, right?
Now one might naively assume: Well, a year has 12 months. So a Season in Destiny 2 lasts exactly three months.
Trickily, it matched at the start:
- Season 1 lasted from the release in September to the launch of the 1st DLC in December. From September 6 to December 5 is exactly 90 days. Perfect.
- Season 2 began in December and will, as we have now learned, last into May. If the 2nd DLC is released, Season 2 ends and Season 3 begins. Even if we take May 1 as the end date, then Season 2 will last at least 146 days. Season 2 will therefore last at least two months longer than one might expect.
- Season 3 and Season 4 will then only have about 150 days left until the end of Year 1, mind you for 2 Seasons.
Apparently, Bungie is not dividing their cake into four equally sized pieces.
This means for players: As in Destiny 1, the year is distributed unevenly and it looks like exactly the content droughts that the Seasons were supposed to prevent. There will be no Season change from December to May.
One could have assumed: Something will happen in Destiny 2 in March, but not at all.
How long is a year in Destiny? When does the expansion come?
The questions are: What is Bungie planning here? How does one intend to fit four Seasons in a year?
- Will there be two “shortened Seasons” starting in summer to stick to the schedule? Do they want to ramp up in the summer slump of June/July?
- What should even be the starting point for Season 4 if no more DLC is planned? A free update? An event?
- Or is this an early hint that they are breaking away from the rigid schedule of Destiny 1 and taking more time with the content plan – also to implement the planned changes? Is the expected “big expansion” for Destiny 2 not coming in September 2018, but later?
What do you think?
Destiny has been grappling with another schedule for a while:
