It’s hard to believe thatDestiny 2is nearing the end of its 13th season of content, especially when the first installment saw far fewer major content patches. BeyondSeason of the Chosen,Destiny 2will feature a couple more seasons in 2021 and then start 2022 strong withThe Witch Queen. Bungie seems more ambitious in its foreseeable expansion cycles and has indicated that it’s preparing for the long run regardingDestiny 2. However, that doesn’t rule out the possibility of aDestiny 3ever existing.
Starting withShadowkeep,Destiny 2evolved from its looter-shooter origins and effectively transitioned into an MMO in content, monetization, and even marketing. As such, fans expectDestiny 2to be supported for a considerable number of years. Even so, the studio, understandably, hasn’t established thatDestiny 3will never happen. In fact,Bungie’s current roadmap puts aDestiny 3beyond 2024 at the earliest. This is due in no small part to the shift of workforce at Bungie, its recent growth, and the studio’s willingness to tackle multiple game projects at once going forward.Destinymight expand to other forms of media and the franchise’s future is both unknown and promising.
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The one thing fans can safely assume is thatDestiny 3will only launch, if it ever does, once major content updates forDestiny 2cease. More realistically, Bungie will complete another, currently unknown story “saga” insideDestiny 2, given thatthe expansion followingLightfallproves to be a strong finish to the first. Referred to as the “Light and Darkness Saga,” this arc has been unraveling over the years and Bungie had stated last summer that it will drive to a climax withLightfall. It’s a healthy move, as fans will naturally become jaded towards the looming pyramid ships and the threat of the Hive gods if the same underlying narrative tensions persist through another sequel.
Knowing this, story and setup wise,Destiny 3will look different than its predecessors as the core narrative struggle of the previous games will have concluded by then. Regarding gameplay and systems, it will also likely sport significant changes. The obvious reason is that the medium of video games constantly evolves andBungie will either adaptto trends or simply keep on molding the franchise as time goes on, in whatever way it sees fit.
The other reason is veteran fans would rather not have aDestiny 3in the same vein asDestiny 2.When the first sequel had launched, Bungie effectively erased all prior progression and loot, and provided a very similar game in return. Many did not like this blank slate approach, particularly when they felt the sequel didn’t make enough changes, or even the right changes. It was back to square one for the studio as it reinvigorated the game over the following year. Thus,Destiny 3might not be a sequel in the wayDestiny 2was at launch.
This was also duringBungie’s partnership with Activision, and with the split now behind us, the developer will presumably not go down the same route for a second sequel. As far as fans can tell, some of the initial plans have largely been scrapped already. With key developers such as Luke Smith also taking on different responsibilities under theDestinyumbrella,Destiny “3"might even be closer to a spinoff or in a different genre. Rather than readopting the MMO model, providing a fresh start while also continuing the long legacy and incredible breath of contentDestiny 2has built up over 7+ years would indubitably be a good move.
Destiny 2: Beyond Lightis available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Stadia, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
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