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At a rough time for Destiny 2, Bungie says it will reveal more of the MMO's next chapter, Codename Frontiers, next week – but 10th anniversary plans are 'light'
Bungie faces challenges with declining Destiny 2 player count and layoffs, but promises a new future with Codename: Frontiers and more communication with the community, while the 10th Anniversary celebration will be smaller than expected.
The cycle of ups and downs that has defined Destiny 2 reached new extremes in the aftermath of The Final Shape. The best expansion in the MMO's history was almost immediately followed by severe layoffs at developer Bungie, with many recognizable Destiny veterans among those cut or leaving. Coupled with the end of the Light and Darkness saga which has guided the game thus far, this left the future of Destiny, if not Bungie altogether, uncertain.
The backdrop to this is a measurable – albeit not *entirely *unexpected or atypical – decline in Destiny 2's player count, with the new Episode model seemingly failing to keep some players on the hook long-term, not to mention unrest exemplified by devoted players like community icon Datto. There have also been rumors of a dramatic shift in business model for Destiny 2, with major expansions potentially getting the axe and with new owner Sony reportedly poised to plunge its hands deeper into Bungie's operations. Inexplicable technical issues – my team ran into all-new raid bugs just last night – haven't helped either.
Many had hoped that the upcoming 10th anniversary of the Destiny series, which launched way back on September 9, 2014, would serve up an event capable of giving Destiny 2 a shot in the arm. In a new blog post, Bungie says it only has plans for "fun and light" 10-year fanfare.
"We’ll have a small in-game celebration for you all next week, along with some beautiful art the team has made throughout the years," the post reads. "There will be some Legendary armor freebies, a fun Title to earn, some Bungie Rewards, and more. Check back next Monday at 8am PT for our blog coverage."
With this being a major milestone, the sort where virtually all other MMOs would roll out the red carpet with weeks of events and rewards, the cynic in me can't help but read this as a sign that post-layoff Bungie may not have the resources to spare for major celebrations. There is, however, unconditionally good news this week: Bungie is ready to properly talk about the future of Destiny 2, namely Codename: Frontiers, the next leg of the journey which was teased earlier this year.
On September 9, Bungie will release "a short Dev Insight blog article discussing our goals for the future of Destiny. Destiny 2 Game Director Tyson Green and Destiny 2 Narrative Director Alison Lührs will be guiding the conversation. Where have we been, where are we now, and where do we want to go? Most importantly... how are we going to get there?
"We want to be clear about our commitment to ongoing communication with you. This marks the beginning of regular updates from our development team about what's next for Destiny 2, including details about its systems and future plans. While the updates may be a bit rough around the edges as they are early in the development process, we're excited about sharing our goals and progress with you."
This first bite sounds unsurprisingly nonspecific, but as the Destiny 2 community struggles with the absence of the 'what comes next' anticipation that buoyed the game during previous dips, it'll be good to get any sense of what's on the horizon. "This will be the start of a conversation," Bungie says. "Our main goal is to provide bite-sized, direct to the point articles over the next few months rather than mega-blogs where it’s too easy to get mired in the details."
Not for the first, second, or third time, Bungie reiterates that "the Light and Dark saga may have ended, but the future of Destiny is still unfolding before us." This section of the blog post ends with a broader tease that "this universe is big, bright, and full of wonder. We’re looking forward to exploring it and hope to see you join us starside as we approach new frontiers." On this, at least, I am not at all cynical; it smacks of what Destiny 2 game director Robbie Stevens told Edge magazine about the future of the game, and it does sound exciting.
"A lot of that thinking about year 11, and how we start really getting into the next journey here after these Episodes, we're going to be leaning on that thinking as well," Stevens said. "Because we've been doing this linear thing for a while now, and we want to get back to expanding our worlds and world-building, expanding the universe of Destiny in general."