Destiny 2 is currently in a crisis. Players have begun to discuss how the loot shooter can become successful again after the layoffs at Bungie and the decline in popularity. Many agree that Destiny 3 might be the solution to the game’s problems.
Here are the problems with Destiny 2: At the end of October, the business problems of Sony-owned developer studio Bungie came into the public focus.
- Bungie had to lay off 8% of its employees “due to a significant decline in popularity”.
- This included employees from communication, PR, support, and sound design, such as community manager Liana Ruppert and the extremely popular Destiny song composer Michael Salvatori.
- Additionally, the new PvP strike and security team was also downsized as part of the layoffs.
After it also emerged from reliable insider sources that the upcoming expansion “The Final Shape” would likely be delayed by several months, many players frustratedly canceled their pre-orders.
In light of the poor development and Bungie’s unclear statements, players are now thinking about possible solutions to bring Destiny back on track. Although the loot shooter is in a crisis, some players still show their commitment and willingness to find solutions.
The Final Shape was supposed to take the Guardians inside the Traveler for the first time. Now, what Bungie shows in this video is hardly desired by anyone:
Is Destiny 3 the lifeline for the franchise?
The idea of Destiny 3 as a lifeline for the franchise is widespread in the community. Players believe that a complete restart that solves the problems of Destiny 2 might be the key to reviving interest and excitement.
The player Edward Tracer states: “Destiny 2 feels bloated and contentless.” The season model is stale, activities feel too similar, and thus it is time for a reset in the form of Destiny 3.
Other players agree with his opinion for the following reasons:
- Point 1: The current storyline of the game doesn’t look good
- Especially new players cannot follow the story meaningfully. On one hand, because they don’t know what to do next. On the other, because essential parts of the story are currently not playable, leaving them clueless about what they are fighting for.
- Point 2: The recycling of weapons and locations
- Although Bungie attempted to largely reverse the sunsetting of weapons and locations in Destiny 2 and has gradually brought some of this content back into the game, many players found this to be too much recycling. Particularly since they did not want this content as a replacement for new content. They want to “play the complete game they paid for.”
- Point 3: A new game engine
- Destiny 2 is often plagued by bugs and odd glitches. While these have always existed, their number has significantly increased in recent months. Additionally, there are now regular DDoS attacks on the servers leading to error codes and drastically affecting the gameplay. Bungie has partially upgraded its engine under the hood, improving not only the lighting effects but also performance, but it often doesn’t feel that way in-game.
- Point 4: The longing for something new
- The old model of Destiny 2 feels too worn out for the players who have been around for a long time. They want a new saga, new locations, new enemies, and above all new worlds to explore, including new weapons.
There is also a fear that Bungie will continue to release content for Destiny 2 at the same rhythm as before, and that this will not change anything. All problems will still be there.
“The most obvious reset that we need right now”
These are the opinions about Destiny 3: A large portion of players believes that a complete restart in the form of Destiny 3 is necessary to address the many problems currently plaguing Destiny 2.
Paul Tassi from Forbes writes about his article via Twitter:
Bungie needs a break from the endless content delivery, and it seems players need this break just as urgently if they have not already enforced one themselves. I don’t see how you can maintain the same cycle and expect anything to change. Expenses stay the same, but engagement and revenues continue to decline.
Paul Tassi from Forbes
xho sees parallels with Destiny 2 and The Division 2 and states: “Destiny 3 has to happen, or the franchise is at its end. If we look at another game that is currently ‘stagnant’ (which was once a major competitor to Destiny, please note), namely The Division 2, the studio behind it recently announced that The Division 3 is in the works. So why can’t Bungie resurrect Destiny with Destiny 3?”
The player James Tomlinson writes: “I would be happy if there were a Destiny 3. Destiny 2 became too convoluted as the economy systems kept changing, the grind worsened over time, and the PvP aspect seemed increasingly neglected. Even a soft reset that would reinvent the systems and the game world wouldn’t bother me.”
On the other hand, there are also players who believe that Destiny 2 still has the potential to recover if targeted improvements and adjustments are made.
The well-known Destiny streamer Aztecross says:
The difference is that past delays did not coincide with massive layoffs. I’m sure many of us agree it’s worth waiting for “The Final Shape” to be as good as possible. […]
is the opinion of the renowned Destiny streamer Aztecross
German Destiny player x T1duS x also finds: “A Destiny 3 would not solve anything, to deliver a game that matches the experience of Destiny 2, with additional great content and quality improvements will take years, and Bungie has no income in the meantime. […] Destiny 2 was much worse than Destiny 1 and it took years to fix that.”
tinytigerxo also does not believe in Destiny 3 and comments: “Destiny 3 will not happen until [Bungie] regains the trust of its players. Because even if they release it, people will just expect the same as happened with Destiny 2. ‘The Final Shape’ must be top-notch in quality and content if they ever want to regain that trust.”
For Dark Tetrad- Revenge(r) Cat, however, has completely different thoughts: “I often hear/read how people ask: ‘What can be done to save/fix Destiny 2?’ But for me, it becomes increasingly clear that the question people should rather be asking is, ‘What can be done to save/fix Destiny (the franchise)?'”
Destiny 3 has long been a topic in the community, mainly due to complaints about the technical state of Destiny 2:
Destiny 3 could take years
This is another hurdle to consider: Some players pointed out in the discussion that creating Destiny 3 will be a long process that could take years.
Bungie needs to engage intensively in planning, design, and implementation to ensure the game meets player expectations.
During this phase, they might not see any revenues from Destiny, as resources and personnel would be focused on the development of the new title. It is also not clear yet whether Bungie’s latest game “Marathon” could financially fill this gap.
Without the regular income from Destiny 2 and other projects, it could be difficult to finance the development of Destiny 3.
Destiny 1 and 2 are to become a universe
This variant is more likely: Bungie announced in June 2022 that it wants to take new paths after “The Final Shape” so that more players can understand and capture future game worlds more easily.
This is also the reason why Luke Smith, Bungie’s mastermind for Destiny, currently has little to do directly with Destiny 2, as he mentioned in a podcast.
He and his long-time production partner Mark Noseworthy are responsible for expanding the “Destiny” brand. Their mission for the future is to “think about making Destiny a universe that… extends and persists beyond a single MMO project.”
As Luke Smith explained at the time, the future for Destiny 2 was what became increasingly clear since the introduction of the content vault in Destiny 2:
I think Destiny 2 is Destiny. The design of Destiny 1 and 2.
said Luke Smith in the AIAS Game Maker’s Notebook Podcast
This endeavor to gradually bring the contents of Destiny 1 and 2 together has been evident in the last seasons as Bungie continuously incorporated content from Destiny 1 into Destiny 2. Recently, this included the raids “Crota’s End” and “Kingsfall.”
A Destiny universe would also appeal to player Saint_Victorious:
I don’t want a
writes the Destiny player Saint_Victorious via RedditDestiny 3. I want a complete Destiny that creates a continuous and cohesive narrative across all campaigns. This would then be the starting platform for all future storytelling in the Destiny universe.
With all these comments, it is clear that players want Bungie to take their concerns and wishes into account and improve the game. It also seems that few want to give up on Destiny completely.
What would you need to like Destiny 2 again and return? Do you believe that a fresh start is necessary to get the game back on the right path? Or do you prefer the idea of a large Destiny universe that offers all content and also allows you to explore the rest of the solar system?
Feel free to share it with the community and us in the comments.
Other statistics, such as those from Luis Lachegga
, are currently in free fall: Bungie bans the biggest German Twitch streamer for Destiny 2 – He loses 80% of his viewers
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