The last two months has been a rollercoaster ride for Destiny 2 fans, from the heights of the critically-acclaimed Final Shape expansion to the depths of downsizing at the studio that made it and reports of major shifts and abandoned ambitions for the sci-fi MMO. Destiny 2 will continue, maybe even more sustainably, but not as fans have known it, or some had hoped it would.
Last night, Giant Bomb cohost Jeff Grubb reported that Bungie was stepping back from Destiny 2‘s big annual expansions to focus on smaller “content packs” that would release alongside other episodic updates. And today, Bloomberg shed more light on those changes, reporting that instead of major new paid campaigns every year, these smaller content drops would aim to be free and modeled after Destiny 2‘s recent Into the Light update which added a horde mode and lots of new loot for players to collect.
Bloomberg also reported that an in-development project called “Payback” was canceled earlier this year. It would have been more of a Destiny spin-off than a sequel, with third-person action and a focus on exploration and team-based boss fights, possibly in the vein of Warframe or Genshin Impact. But in addition to that game being canned, the layoffs this week were part of a reorganization that included cuts to Destiny 2‘s audio, story, and player support teams. Luke Smith and Mark Noseworthy, longtime veterans who were frequently the face of Destiny as recently as this year (and were reportedly working on “Payback” according to Grubb), were also laid off.
Perhaps the most disappointing news for some fans, however, is that there’s no Destiny 3 at the end of this long, dark tunnel. According to Bloomberg, it doesn’t exist yet and hasn’t been in development. While that doesn’t preclude it from happening in the future, it’s clear the recent downsizing means Bungie is focused on maintaining Destiny 2‘s precarious present and shipping its new extraction shooter Marathon in 2025, versus opening up a completely new chapter in the sci-fi universe it spent the last decade making.
According to reporting by Game File, the upheaval for Bungie and Destiny 2 wasn’t inevitable but it was a long time coming, spurred by overly optimistic plans during the pandemic years from studio leadership and declining sales of each new Destiny 2 expansion. If there’s one bright spot in all of this for players, it sounds like the game’s onboarding will be a main focus moving forward, helping new players experience the fun but notoriously complex and convoluted loot shooter.