Destiny 2 is making much-needed changes, but Bungie can\u2019t repeat old mistakes BungieDestiny 2 Frontiers is a double entendre in every sense of the word \u2013 it\u2019s not just the millions of Guardians who will be collectively embarking on a new journey when it kicks off in 2025, but Bungie too. Following a long period of silence from the developer after The Final Shape\u2018s release \u2013 and the subsequent layoff of hundreds of staff \u2013 the studio finally revealed its hand for the looter shooter\u2019s future on September 9, promising a long-awaited shake-up of the status quo. Episodes, a rebrand of Destiny\u2019s seasons that had remained largely unchanged since Season of the Undying in 2019, will be retired following the conclusion of Episode: Heresy in the first half of 2025, leading directly into Apollo in the following Summer. It, alongside Behemoth, are the names of two \u201cmedium-sized expansions\u201d releasing under the banner of Frontiers. Gargantuan annual add-ons in the vein of The Final Shape and Beyond Light will be no more, retired in favor of a one-two-punch approach. \u201cThe truth is that they [annual expansions] dominate almost all of our development effort,\u201d Bungie explained in one of several extensive blog posts setting the scene for Destiny\u2019s future. \u201cWe need to free ourselves up to explore and innovate with how we deliver Destiny 2 content.\u201d Truly, it\u2019s reassuring to read Bungie\u2019s forthcoming admission that adherence to such a rigid content delivery model was restricting its creative freedom and that a different approach is needed. Post-reshuffle, Destiny 2\u2019s two mid-sized expansions will be interspersed with \u201cfour major updates of free content every year\u201d, each providing a \u201csubstantial refresh of the core game.\u201d As for Seasons, they\u2019ll remain, reforged into bi-annual resets accompanying Apollo and Behemoth. Bungie\u2019s excitement over once again having the freedom to experiment is palpable. Infectious, even. \u201cWe are excited to try new things that challenge your idea of what a Destiny experience can be,\u201d they continued. \u201cWe are actively prototyping non-linear campaigns, exploration experiences similar to the Dreaming City or Metroidvanias, and even more unusual formats like roguelikes or survival shooters.\u201d If Destiny 2\u2019s biggest turn-off for the existing player base \u2013 and years of complaints of burnout stemming from familiarity suggest exactly that \u2013 this news should be met with joyous applause, surely? Perhaps, but cautious optimism is closer to the truth. Bungie has always been the master of hype. Whether through wordsmithing or meticulously crafted sizzle reels, it\u2019s remained a consistent industry leader in the sell, even since the Halo years. For this new approach to hit the landing, Bungie must go all-in on the self-professed mantra that \u201cDestiny is at its best when it\u2019s mysterious, weird, and not afraid to try new things.\u201d Apollo and Behemoth could well be the fresh start Guardians so desperately seek, but veterans can\u2019t help but feel Deja vu creeping in. Curse of Osiris and Warmind, released in 2017 and 2018, respectively, have inevitably become a reference point for Bungie\u2019s description of \u201cmid-sized.\u201d While the latter was given a warmer welcome than its predecessor, taken together, the pair are stigmatized, synonymous with Destiny 2\u2019s darkest years. The concern, then, is that Bungie, undoubtedly well-intentioned, is inadvertently bringing Destiny 2 full circle. With concurrent player numbers suffering now, more than ever, it can\u2019t afford to repeat mistakes of the past. If Apollo and Behemoth underdeliver like their spiritual predecessors, trouble abounds. But context is key. Curse and Warmind existed in a landscape where random rolls, customization, gameplay variety, and reward space were a fraction of what they are today. Perhaps because it knows that content of this size can\u2019t meet the demands of an always-hungry player base, free content in the same vein as the exceptionally well-received Into the Light is intended to be supplementary. Bungie is attempting to deliver the best of both worlds, and while I\u2019m not entirely sold \u2013 a certain degree of skepticism is healthy \u2013 change, albeit ethereal at this stage, is coming, and I\u2019m excited for what the future holds.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Destiny 2 is making much-needed changes, but Bungie can\u2019t repeat old mistakes BungieDestiny 2 Frontiers is a double entendre in every sense of the word \u2013 it\u2019s not just the millions of Guardians who will be collectively embarking on a new journey when it kicks off in 2025, but Bungie too. Following a long period […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-40137","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dejan.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40137","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dejan.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dejan.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dejan.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dejan.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=40137"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dejan.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40137\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dejan.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=40137"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dejan.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=40137"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dejan.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=40137"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}