Destiny 2, the free loot shooter by Bungie, is actually going through tough times. The latest DLC “Lightfall” disappointed many players with its story. On top of that, there are gameplay bugs and other issues. But those who think this has an impact on player numbers are mistaken.
What is happening with the player numbers? Destiny 2 recently faced a lot of harsh criticism for its latest expansion “Lightfall”. Players voiced their disappointment with the new content after the release on February 28.
However, despite this criticism, the player numbers of Destiny 2 remain stronger than ever.
In fact, compared to the release of the previous expansion, “The Witch Queen” in February 2022, the game has even seen an increase in player engagement. And this is despite still many problems in the game that need to be addressed.
Destiny 2 players currently have a lot to criticize:
- On Steam, players voiced a lot of criticism about the lackluster Lightfall story.
- Since release, difficulty levels, a long list of errors, and bugs have clouded the gaming experience.
- Many playlists have been neglected and offer little refreshment through new content.
- On top of that, the repetitive gameplay of the live-service shooter makes it particularly difficult for long-term players to find the old formula interesting.
However, all of this has not affected interest in the game. Despite the negative feedback, Destiny 2 is still not a dead game. More Guardians even logged in recently than for any expansion before.
Numbers are the opposite of a dead game
Lightfall is gaining more and more players: If you look at the current player statistics on Steam alone, it becomes clear that the current player count for Destiny 2: Lightfall is even continuing to grow.
- 30 days after the “Shadowkeep” release, 172,365 players were still playing
- 30 days after the “Beyond Light” release, 81,558 players were still playing
- 30 days after the “Witch Queen” release, 101,673 players were still playing
- 30 days after the “Lightfall” release, 140,535 players are still playing
This only includes verifiable player numbers through Steam. Specific numbers for consoles cannot be stated as they are not available.
This first high number from the “Shadowkeep” DLC in 2019 should not be taken into account. On the one hand, this was Bungie’s transition from Battle.net to Steam, and on the other hand, the launch of the Free-to-Play experience “New Light”. At that time, Bungie offered some free content like “The Red War” and the first three seasons as an incentive, which attracted many players.
Criticism does not affect player numbers: On Reddit, the Guardian Merzats recently raised the legitimate question of why criticism doesn’t reflect in player numbers. He received almost 3K updates and sparked a discussion in the community about the 100 Euro DLC.
I wonder what’s going on, considering that Lightfall was not received very well. Did Sony finance a big marketing campaign that brought a lot of new players to the game? Or did the quality-of-life changes make a significant difference?
the Guardian Merzats wonders on Reddit
Why is Lightfall so popular? One would think that the numbers would actually look different. Especially since some Guardians have even demanded a complete overhaul of the core mechanics of the game for it to have a future.
However, there are 3 good reasons to support Lightfall:
- It was only the Lightfall story that appeared lackluster and confused players. The seasonal content of the “Season of the Resistance” was solid and provided a controversial plot.
- Strand is one of the strongest and thus best subclasses that Destiny has ever brought to the game.
- Additionally, there were a lot of quality-of-life adjustments that drastically improved the overall state of the game compared to Shadowkeep, including new build crafting.
Of course, we must not forget the Free-to-Play aspect of the game. This has made Destiny 2 accessible to a wider audience. Through crossplay, Bungie brings players from various platforms together to play together, which further increases the game’s reach.
Bungie’s new beginning in 2023 is going well: Destiny 2 has had a rather rocky journey since its release in 2017. Overall, however, the numbers now show an interesting and great insight into the state of player engagement.
The game has always received mixed reviews from players initially, as many criticized the lack of content and repetitive gameplay back then. However, Bungie has consistently worked on addressing these issues and has released a series of updates and expansions that have continually added new content and features to the game.
- They have continually refined and tightened the story content
- Better content has been produced on a larger scale
- The developer has also continuously strengthened its core functions
It is thus clear that the game continues to be developed and is not at a standstill. Even though there are currently still criticisms, such as the lack of attention to PvP or Gambit maps.
Recently, Bungie adjusted the criticized difficulty level and valuations to always give players what they desire.
It will be interesting to see if the game can maintain its high level of engagement in the upcoming DLC year and continue to attract new players.
What do you think of this development? Did you expect this or is it completely incomprehensible to you that a “dead game” still has so many fans? Let us know in the comments.
Destiny 2 continues to grow – even without the investment of $100 million:
Destiny 2: Activision Blizzard head was against the $100,000,000 investment in Bungie
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