Notes on the Discussion of the Bungee Disaster and Destiny's Future
Overview
Discussion between Unknown Player and B about the current state of Destiny 2 and Bungie's future following recent layoffs and the success of the Final Shape expansion.
Insights from the Community
Destiny 3 Discussions: Concerns about the idea of developing Destiny 3, with some considering it too risky. Instead, they could focus on expanding existing projects and new IPs.
Layoffs: Recent layoffs included 220 people (17% of the studio) and a further 155 integrated into Sony, leaving Bungie with about 850 employees from an original 1,300.
Final Shape Expansion
Critical Success: Final Shape considered one of the best expansions in Destiny's history, with high ratings on Metacritic (94) and OpenCritic (92).
Emotional Impact: Strong narratives, particularly Cade's character arc and themes around making one's own fate, resonated deeply with players.
Gameplay Elements: The raid, Salvation's Edge, was highlighted for its innovative mechanics and difficulty, with a unique fourth encounter (Verity).
Bungie's Management Issues
Leadership Trust Issues: Developers express a lack of trust in Bungie's leadership following the phrase "make or break" concerning game outcomes.
Rapid Expansion: Bungie tried to develop too many projects simultaneously, which diluted their resources and focus on Destiny 2, their core money-maker.
Future of Destiny
No Destiny 3: Bungie has no plans for Destiny 3 currently, citing risk factors. Instead, they will focus on smaller content packs (Frontiers).
New Directions: Discussions of the veil, the win, and their implications for future storytelling within the Destiny universe. Speculation about the win as a cosmic entity and its connection to the narrative.
Conclusion of Talks
Community Engagement: There is a desire for clearer communication from Bungie to retain community engagement and interest.
Hopeful Outlook: While there is a lot of uncertainty, there is hope that Bungie's narrative team can navigate these challenges and produce quality content moving forward.