Destiny 2, a once-shining example of the modern live-service game, gets its final update on June 9. So, if Bungie is ending active development on its seminal multiplayer first-person shooter, is a sequel in the works?
The demand for a new Destiny game is there. Since the announcement, a petition asking Bungie to get cracking on making Destiny 3 has amassed 220,000 signatures. A couple of Destiny 2 voice actors are encouraging fans to poke Bungie.
“The desire for new adventures, fresh storylines, and innovative gameplay features is palpable among players everywhere,” the petition reads. “Destiny 3 would not only meet these demands but also expand the horizons of what is possible within this universe.”
On Steam, news of Destiny 2 sunsetting has bolstered the game’s active player base. The platform has reportedly seen a 46% jump in active Destiny 2 players in the last week. Though console numbers aren’t public, it is estimated that the majority of Destiny 2 players aren’t on PC — so presumably, those platforms are lively for Destiny 2 right now.
Undoubtedly, a sizable portion of these Destiny 2 players are lapsed or new fans who are checking out a game before the core experience disappears. Outside new updates, tracking websites show that Destiny 2 was hemorrhaging players on a monthly basis. But as Overwatch proved recently, an overhaul — or new game — can motivate players to return.
Yet a potential Destiny 3 is a tricky proposition for Bungie. According to Bloomberg, the studio faces a “significant” number of layoffs. Developers at the studio are apparently in the middle of pitching potential projects, but according to Bloomberg reporter Jason Schreier, “Destiny 3 is NOT in active production. Some Bungie staff are pitching and prototyping new ideas including Destiny games, but none are yet greenlit.” As for why Destiny 3 isn’t already in production, Schreier said it all comes down to money — a third game would be a costly undertaking.
Bungie is also two months into Marathon‘s release, a brutal extraction shooter that has struggled to find an audience. Destiny and Marathon are different takes on the shooting genre, but both games compete for similar audiences. A prospective Destiny 3 could make it difficult for Marathon to gain traction — or invite unwelcome comparisons.
The live-service environment is also vastly different from when Destiny 2 was released in 2017. Destiny 2 did well at launch, but that was before Fortnite and Roblox ate up most of the video game pie. The expected cadence of updates is more competitive now, especially with a deluge of user-generated content.
Expectations surrounding a sequel would also be high, both internally and externally. For the public, Destiny 3 wouldn’t merely be another shooting game. Its predecessors fundamentally changed how the gaming industry makes and monetizes its games. On the development side, Sony is still waiting for the payoff for its $3.6 billion purchase of Bungie in 2022. The biggest ace up Bungie’s sleeve is Destiny.
Then again, the consensus among fans is that Destiny 2 became a worse game after Sony’s acquisition. A 2023 report claimed that, if the live-service shooter kept failing to meet financial targets, Bungie would lose its independence. And Sony already threw Bungie under the bus in early May, when it attributed a $565 million impairment loss to Bungie’s performance. Whenever Destiny 3 happens, if it does at all, Sony’s influence may be more pronounced than ever before.
Despite these challenges, there’s also a lot of opportunity for Destiny 3. Over the last few years, Destiny 2 has largely been defined by its baggage. Players were seemingly unhappy about everything, from the balancing of the game’s central mechanics to a jumbled narrative. A new game is a new slate: a chance to shed all the burdens of nine years worth of updates and a vocal, hardcore fanbase.
For now, Destiny 2 is still alive and kicking. Before shutting down, the shooter will join the PlayStation Plus Game Catalog that will offer the base experience, some major DLC, and weapon packs.
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