Alright, so now that we can confirm Bungie leadership was indeed involved in every step of deciding to end Destiny, I’ve got some unfiltered thoughts.
-The content vault was the sole destroyer of all positive momentum and sentiment for the game when players now had to spend money on new expansions every year or two with an inherent fear that content would be vaulted anyways. “Pay for access” is the death of player investment and the DCV highlighted itself as the most destructive decision ever made in any game to-date.
-Destiny 3 should’ve been green-lit immediately after the Witch Queen, Lightfall, and Final Shape reveals in 2020 and 2021. It would’ve been the perfect lead-in for concluding Destiny 2. They knew the saga was concluding with Final Shape and the game was becoming too bloated. Had they decided to do so, they could’ve announced Destiny 3’s release at this very moment 5-6yrs later. It also would’ve been the perfect bargaining chip to PlayStation for the acquisition by showing longevity of an established and secure IP with a clear title release forthcoming.
-I can guarantee a very large base of players will decide to avoid this “new journey” in Bungie if it isn’t Destiny 3. This demographic of players over the last 10yrs are Destiny fans who spent the last decade exclusively in Destiny - even bringing their kids to enjoy. For sure, you’ll have many who will try whatever comes next, but if it isn’t Destiny, you’re going to have a very large gap.
-Marathon’s “strong foundation” is grossly over-exaggerated. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a very good game that plays unbelievably well and perfectly emanates the identity of Bungie, but its retention concerns are so evident that to deny its existence is damaging. An extremely large portion of marathon players migrated from Destiny and are the core audience to consider here. To Shut down their original game with no plan in sight while saying “we have this instead” will not produce positive results. If marathon wants to succeed beyond its extraction mode, it needs a world built like Destiny, told like Destiny, and world-shaped from the marathon lore that’s been build since the 1990’s.
-If Destiny 3 is not in development and they have no plans to continue the franchise, sell the rights to another reputable studio who believes in the IP and will keep it alive. Destiny is arguably the best looter shooter that defined a literal genre and to abandon development of one of the biggest established IP’s in history is a terrible business decision.
-All of this stems from terrible decision making from the top-down. The game went from creating one of the greatest gaming worlds and stories ever made over the last decade to dollar signs and spreadsheets first. Game success comes from building a full experience that players cannot help but be immersed in.
Blaming “industry shifts” for a game struggling is code for “we aren’t getting it right on our end because we’re making the wrong decisions at the wrong time.”
The players haven’t changed; the reason for developing a game did.
I’m angry. I’m frustrated. I’m sad. I’m hurt. I’m lost. Destiny was home for over 10yrs.
I’ll see y’all in the tower.
@falloutplays Honestly the only good thing that could come of these layoffs is if all the former devs and writers who made D2 so great come together and form an indie studio. Expedition 33 happened because of a similar story. We need a spiritual successor to D2.
@Artagah I'd love to see former Bungie devs and writers come together and form a new indie studio. So many great games, including Expedition 33, happened because of stories like this one. Guardians will follow you. Your community will support you no matter what you do next.
@DestinyBulletn He was just as guilty as Pete Parsons. Only difference was Pete was caught buying an expensive car collection, but Jason is just as responsible for the poor leadership and mismanagement of Bungie. May he never work in games again.
@JosephBiwald Thank you for all your hard work. The passion and artistry shows in every image. Thank you to all the artists, editors, and writers who made D2 great. D2 is forever in my heart because of people like you who really cared about making this game great.
@timburplays@DestinyBulletn It will never be Destiny because they fired all the writers that made the D2 story and Lore so expansive and deep. Those writers will be making other games at other studios better. Marathon is cooked.
@IGN Destiny did live up to expectations. Bungie leadership did not. Pete Parsons and the rest of Bungie c-suite is solely responsible for D2's failure. Players and devs voiced what we needed/wanted. Leadership failed to deliver. Marathon will meet the same fate.
@Dj_No_Request@PaulTassi@Forbes I know this is a joke but the cosmetic customization system of Anthem was S tier and utterly wasted. So much potential there.