Coming off the important success of Destiny 2’s Witch Queen growth, Bungie held a presentation at GDC Vault in 2022, outlining their workflow and explaining how they ship content material to their gamers. To briefly sum it up, they created a system of content material supply that’s protected, measured, and, above all, anticipated.
Now, that was all effective and dandy to everybody who first noticed it coming recent off of the Witch Queen launch. The highs have been excessive, and the longer term was very shiny. Surely, the next yr’s seasons and subsequent yr’s growth would comply with the same high-quality development. For some time, issues actually did appear that manner.
The 4 ensuing seasons after the Witch Queen did efficiently construct upon Destiny 2’s story and sandbox in significant methods. From the subclass 3.0 reworks to Zavala’s haunting backstory, there was all the time one thing to get pleasure from, and Destiny 2 thrived. Then the Lightfall growth launched, and followers found a marketing campaign extra in regards to the new Strand subclass than the rest by a large margin.
Negative Player Reactions to Destiny 2: Lightfall
Fans have been justifiably outraged. Lightfall was removed from what gamers have been anticipating. To make issues worse, Destiny 2’s core modes hovered between life assist and being fully ignored as 2023 continued—relaxation in peace, Gambit.
This, too, was not anticipated, and as time went on, Destiny 2 gamers rediscovered a specific GDC Vault presentation. Except this time, Bungie’s course of, which aimed to keep away from creating unrealistic content material expectations, was interpreted as smothering for keen and passionate builders and lit a smoldering fireplace below the group. A hearth that I really feel is justified.
At first look, Bungie’s argument is quite pragmatic. Not over-delivering as a mantra means much less crunch for the crew and decrease expectations from their followers whereas probably conserving income excessive. The downside with this manner of considering is that gamers can really feel the company soullessness that comes with that improvement methodology.
The Issue With Destiny 2’s Development Process
It’s not one thing that any participant would have a look at and be like, “Yeah, I’m cool with less content on purpose for the same price.” Especially when Destiny 2’s microtransactions are getting worse with the monetization of endgame PvE content material that was a component of the seasonal mannequin.
That feeling is then compounded each time a participant runs into long-standing points with the sport. Problems like once you go onto Steam solely to see dozens of complicated DLC Bundles, or worse, you run right into a cheater taking part in PvP. At the top of the day, it merely hurts to see Bungie warn about over-delivery as they themselves under-deliver.
Bungie is so frightened about participant belief, retention, and monetization that they’ve successfully eliminated ardour from the event course of. Alternatively, have a look at Larian Studios and their critically acclaimed sport, Bauldur’s Gate 3. While evaluating a turn-based RPG to an internet multiplayer shooter may not be fully correct, anybody can see that they’ve put ardour first.
Destiny 2 Should Follow Baldur’s Gate 3’s Example
Larian has developed a sport of appreciable scope and depth that’s practically unequalled. While not an ideal sport as a result of bugs and some different annoying points, they took no shortcuts in delivering their imaginative and prescient of the ultimate product, and once more, gamers can inform.
Meanwhile, over six years in, Bungie nonetheless struggles to precisely predict group sentiment from season to season. Any goodwill they’ve gained over time should be rebuilt practically from the bottom up, and it’s a disgrace. So many gamers, myself included, play and love Destiny 2 not for what it’s however for what it may turn out to be.
What Destiny 2 Could Become
Let’s think about a model of Destiny 2 the place Bungie permits builders extra freedom to design and create with out worry of residing as much as expectations. Imagine not less than one season a yr the place the objective is to do nothing however increase upon Strikes, Crucible, and Gambit. I’ve a hunch that gamers would forgive the dearth of one other seasonal story in return for a number of new strikes and maps.
An fascinating different can be to make use of the decline of one mode, like Gambit, as an instrument for change. A season could possibly be used so as to add a narrative behind Gambit’s decline, making its overhaul right into a brand-new core mode half of the precise canon. Maybe the Drifter would lose management of his captured aliens as a result of a darkness mutation, turning Gambit right into a full-on horde mode.
When ardour leads improvement, something wild and thrilling just like the mode outlined above can be potential. Only time will inform if Bungie’s management realizes that to be one of the best course of motion.
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