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Destiny 2: Forsaken is under-performing according to Activision in third quarter earnings call

Cybrwzrd

Banned
https://www.pcgamer.com/activision-says-destiny-2-is-not-performing-as-well-as-wed-like/

"We have not yet seen the full core re-engage in Destiny, which has kind of led to the underpeformance against our expectations to date. Some players we think are still in wait-and-see mode," Johnson said. "So when you're in, you're deeply engaged. If you're not, we're hoping now's the time to bring players back in and win them back."

Destiny 2 base version was recently made free on battle.net as announced at Blizzcon, so this probably led to that giveaway.

D2 is the main game I am playing now, and I was honestly not planning on buying the Forsaken expansion because the core game was disappointing to say the least. But I am very happy with Forsaken, Bungie really made strides to the core gameplay and I hope more haters give it a try now.

That being said, I fear that Activision will push for monetization from bullshit loot boxes, instead of going with more paid content.

Keep pushing out Forsaken level content and the players will come back, and I think they can get more new players with it. I don't want to call for a subscription type service, but I'd rather drop $20-25 a quarter for game expansions over Eververse bullshit. Please Activision and Bungie, if you are reading this, focus on content over trinkets. Look at WoW for inspiration. People will come for content, not micro-transactions.
 

Seraphym

Member
I ended up dropping on it and picked up an additional two copies for the refer a friend promo for my usual co-op buddies.
Did look at the season pass, but that is the cost of a full game, and felt burnt on the previous one... because if I had known that Warmind and Osiris were going to be bundled with Forsaken I would of skipped them.
The comparison with WoW, or at least inspiration, would mean a new major update the size of the original release every 18-24 months. They don't seem prepared for that, to be fair they don't seem prepared for much. To be fair what I have seen of Tangled Shore, it is a great area. Floating around 37 so the threat seems real.
It is a shame they hadn't reworked the D1 content into the D2 game, so you could of played through. But that is my misconception of Destiny as a MMO when initially launched rather than a biennial shooter with co-op.
 

RiccochetJ

Gold Member
I don't believe you.

I was extremely disappointed with Destiny 1 and then TTK even though people were screaming to the high heavens that it made the game so much better.

I bought Destiny 2 against my better judgement and it was the same level of disappointment. After 2 bullshit dlcs that were part of the season's pass, people once again are screaming to the high heavens that this new expansion makes the game so much better.

Sound familiar?

It sure as hell does to me. I refuse to give them another $40.
 

Dice

Pokémon Parentage Conspiracy Theorist
For The Taken King I was able to play everything but raids solo. In Destiny 2 it took just a few hours before I was fighting some dude who...
1) Was only vulnerable on his back
2) Constantly turned to face you
3) Had a massive all-direction knockback move to keep you from getting to him by circling around him close
4) Had constant pestering minions

Nonetheless I almost had him... then when he had a sliver of health remaining the arbitrary timer ended and the whole lot noped out and I got nothing. I get that the game is ideally based on squads, but so was Taken King. They still let you enjoy it on your own time if you didn't want to bother finding some people who have the same schedule as you and want to play it exactly the same amount as you. D2 demonstrated this toxic forced "squad up if you want to have fun" design in more ways than one.

It also strongly departed from the almost Metroid-like world exploration and seemed more like a loose hub for challenge rooms on cooldown timers. There is a place for those, but when that's all the whole game feels like, I'd rather go for something that is purpose built from its foundations to be nothing but arcade rounds (R6 Siege, Quake Champions, BLOPS4, etc) because those games usually do it way better.
 
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Cybrwzrd

Banned
I ended up dropping on it and picked up an additional two copies for the refer a friend promo for my usual co-op buddies.
Did look at the season pass, but that is the cost of a full game, and felt burnt on the previous one... because if I had known that Warmind and Osiris were going to be bundled with Forsaken I would of skipped them.
The comparison with WoW, or at least inspiration, would mean a new major update the size of the original release every 18-24 months. They don't seem prepared for that, to be fair they don't seem prepared for much. To be fair what I have seen of Tangled Shore, it is a great area. Floating around 37 so the threat seems real.
It is a shame they hadn't reworked the D1 content into the D2 game, so you could of played through. But that is my misconception of Destiny as a MMO when initially launched rather than a biennial shooter with co-op.

Yes, Warmind and Osiris were shit. Tho they did give me a Whisper and Sleeper ;P

From some recent leaks, it appears that some D1 content is coming back, through the current exotic quest for
Thunderlord, and a return to Cosmodrome

I think they could retool their live team to handle this. Admittedly much of my support hinges on the Black Armory that is coming at the end of this month or next. If it is of the same quality as Forsaken, I think they may have found the magic that this game needs.

For The Taken King I was able to play everything but raids solo. In Destiny 2 it took just a few hours before I was fighting some dude who...
1) Was only vulnerable on his back
2) Constantly turned to face you
3) Had a massive all-direction knockback move to keep you from getting to him by circling around him close
4) Had constant pestering minions

Nonetheless I almost had him... then when he had a sliver of health remaining the arbitrary timer ended and the whole lot noped out and I got nothing. I get that the game is ideally based on squads, but so was Taken King. They still let you enjoy it on your own time if you didn't want to bother finding some people who have the same schedule as you and want to play it exactly the same amount as you. D2 demonstrated this toxic forced "squad up if you want to have fun" design in more ways than one.

I soloed all of D2 story missions, I thought it all was really easy, thus why I quit...
 
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jadedm17

Member
"Made strides to the gameplay" is always funny to hear considering how many times they made "strides" then went backwards again.

It's so hard to commit to D2 when things like Fortnite offer crazy modes, time events, fun emotes and whacky weapons... and is also free for the start. I love Destiny but competition is fierce.
 

Dice

Pokémon Parentage Conspiracy Theorist
I soloed all of D2 story missions, I thought it all was really easy, thus why I quit...
I'm not talking about level of challenge. I don't equate ease or difficulty of victory with fun. However, when something is designed to work specifically for groups and no effort is put in to play it solo to see what that is like for the player, usually the solo way of doing it ends up really stupid and not fun at all.
 

Cybrwzrd

Banned
I don't believe you.

I was extremely disappointed with Destiny 1 and then TTK even though people were screaming to the high heavens that it made the game so much better.

I bought Destiny 2 against my better judgement and it was the same level of disappointment. After 2 bullshit dlcs that were part of the season's pass, people once again are screaming to the high heavens that this new expansion makes the game so much better.

Sound familiar?

It sure as hell does to me. I refuse to give them another $40.

Oh I get it, I was reticent to give them another dollar, then forsaken proved to be a better experience than TTK. The story is advancing weekly still. I’m a lore nerd tho so maybe that is part of what appeals to me.
 

Cybrwzrd

Banned
I'm not talking about level of challenge. I don't equate ease or difficulty of victory with fun. However, when something is designed to work specifically for groups and no effort is put in to play it solo to see what that is like for the player, usually the solo way of doing it ends up really stupid and not fun at all.

I’ll give you that, but it is an MMO. WoW fucking sucks solo in the end game.
 

Cybrwzrd

Banned
I ended up dropping on it and picked up an additional two copies for the refer a friend promo for my usual co-op buddies.
Did look at the season pass, but that is the cost of a full game, and felt burnt on the previous one... because if I had known that Warmind and Osiris were going to be bundled with Forsaken I would of skipped them.
The comparison with WoW, or at least inspiration, would mean a new major update the size of the original release every 18-24 months. They don't seem prepared for that, to be fair they don't seem prepared for much. To be fair what I have seen of Tangled Shore, it is a great area. Floating around 37 so the threat seems real.
It is a shame they hadn't reworked the D1 content into the D2 game, so you could of played through. But that is my misconception of Destiny as a MMO when initially launched rather than a biennial shooter with co-op.

To add to my prior statement, get to the Dreaming City and do a raid. Hit me up if you want. My PSN is the same as my username here. I'd come along for your ride through the last of the story.
 

Xaero Gravity

NEXT LEVEL lame™
I’ll give you that, but it is an MMO. WoW fucking sucks solo in the end game.
Is it really an MMO though? It has MMO like aspects to it, but it's far from massive. Maybe I'm just old and stuck in the past when it comes to the definition of an MMO xD
 

Dice

Pokémon Parentage Conspiracy Theorist
Yeah in WoW I can just hop into raids that are being assembled on the fly because there are actually thousands of people on a server and the game is built to help them utilize the "massive" aspect of the multiplayer. Sure, it's not as good as being part of a raiding guild, but it works just fine for someone who is more casual such as myself.
 

Cybrwzrd

Banned
Is it really an MMO though? It has MMO like aspects to it, but it's far from massive. Maybe I'm just old and stuck in the past when it comes to the definition of an MMO xD

It hits the same feeder bar for me as an MMO does. I totally understand the hate it gets too. I was done with D2 about a month into the initial release. After beating the raid shit was boring as fuck. No story to pursue, no activities worth my time.

I wouldn't have bought the expansion had my son not begged for it to be honest. He isn't into the whole Fortnite thing so I give him credit for gaming taste, tho his love affair with Minecraft made me worry :p

Yeah in WoW I can just hop into raids that are being assembled on the fly because there are actually thousands of people on a server and the game is built to help them utilize the "massive" aspect of the multiplayer. Sure, it's not as good as being part of a raiding guild, but it works just fine for someone who is more casual such as myself.

D2 does have the whole guided raids thing, but with only a 6 man group requirement, you need people who know what they are doing. I'm happy to help new raid teams though.
 
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Neolombax

Member
What were they expecting though, when the first 2 DLC's for D2 were very weak in comparison to Forsaken. You lose a lot of trust from the player base. Couple that with the base D2 game being a letdown, I would imagine people just dropping the title altogether to play other games.

Forsaken is an amazing expansion, even better than TTK in my books. But getting back that player base will take time as Bungie is earning back the good will of their fans.
 

Lanrutcon

Member
They burnt a staggering amount of their fans with the shitty vanilla game. Then they want more money for another try? Fuck that noise.

I'm gonna go do hoverboard tricks on Venus in the new Warframe expansion rather.
 
I'm not going to be jumping back in until Destiny 2: The collection is on offer for £15 or less, and won't be buying Destiny 3 at all until it's at the same stage.
 

ZehDon

Gold Member
Sounds like their expectations were off. If they projected a Taken King turn around, they missed the part where their community revolted for about six months and then just left. They’ve burned their franchise’ reputation. Destiny 3 isn’t going to right the franchise sales wise, regardless of how good it is. Figured the fairly smart people at Activision would know that by now.
 

Dargor

Member
Yeah, who knew less people would be up for a second burn. The only thing impressive here is that so many still were there for it lol.
 

jmbgator

Neo Member
I fall into the category that played D1 religiously, played D2 vanilla until the first DLC, then I stopped playing and have had little interest in returning. For me, and I'm sure it might apply to others as well, I just became fatigued of the game after playing it for 3 years. Not that I have anything against Forsaken, as I've heard that it is in a great state right now, but I just grew fatigued of the same type of grind week after week after week. I also grew tired of killing the same thrall, cabal, and taken trash mobs over and over again. Add to the fact that this year has been a very good year for new games (God of War, Spiderman, RDR2, Fornite etc.) that has kept me busy, and the thought of going back to Forsaken and undergo a massive grind just to catch up to the rest of player base just doesn't interest me at the moment. Perhaps once there is a slow period for game releases I may come back to it at some point, but for now my $ and time has been focused on other games.
 
a buddy and I have been playing through D2 since it was free, but neither of us will spend a dime on it otherwise. It's fun but... meh.
 

BONDO

Member
I love D2 and play it almost daily.
That being said- Bungie has zero respect for a players time. Rolling back changes or making gear you grinded for worthless.

How about we build the character rather than make him useless in most categories with every expansion.
 

SonGoku

Member
They should reboot destiny and make it more like halo, leave shady business behind (mtx and shit boxes)
I love D2 and play it almost daily.
That being said- Bungie has zero respect for a players time. Rolling back changes or making gear you grinded for worthless.

How about we build the character rather than make him useless in most categories with every expansion.
Exactly, no surprise people are hesitant to jump in and have all their progress thrown in the garbage on a whim
 
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DeepEnigma

Gold Member
Is it really an MMO though? It has MMO like aspects to it, but it's far from massive. Maybe I'm just old and stuck in the past when it comes to the definition of an MMO xD

It is far from an MMO.

Even Bungie in the beginning said it was not. But people kept pushing that narrative, and eventually it stuck. It borrows ideas from one (raids, drip-feed, etc.), but it is far from one with all other aspects that make an MMO what it is.

Then again, everything is getting diluted down. Even Guild Wars (the first one) was not considered MMO at one time, due to the persistent nature.
 
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I think they really messed up with the Destiny 2 launch. Had the game at launch been what the game is now it probably would have been much more popular.

For a sequel to to launch bare bones compared to where the original ended at just seems like a poor decision
 

The_Mike

I cry about SonyGaf from my chair in Redmond, WA
I think many of us who got fooled by Destiny 1 didn’t got fooled twice after all.
 
I don't believe you.

I was extremely disappointed with Destiny 1 and then TTK even though people were screaming to the high heavens that it made the game so much better.

I bought Destiny 2 against my better judgement and it was the same level of disappointment. After 2 bullshit dlcs that were part of the season's pass, people once again are screaming to the high heavens that this new expansion makes the game so much better.

Sound familiar?

It sure as hell does to me. I refuse to give them another $40.
maybe it's just not for you?
 

Snoopycat

Banned
Destiny 2 was my biggest gaming regret last year. Played about half of it, dumped it 3 days after it came out. Pile of garbage. Then I read about all the nonsense Bungie were getting up to with the progression system and the Eververse. The Bungie that made all those great Halo games is long gone.
 

Roobtoob

Neo Member
Well, they only have themselves to blame.
Agreed. I bought Forsaken when Destiny 2 was free and I'm enjoying the post-game content. I delayed purchase of vanilla Destiny 2 after initial feedback about how boring the turned out. Just like its predecessor, Destiny 2 needed an expansion to fix its problems. Guess I made the right call to wait for the fix but having to wait a year for a better version of the same core product is an insult to early adopters.
 

TacosNSalsa

Member
They should just say f-it and have Tess Eververse follow you around the Traveler when ever yo u dock asking you if you would like some new moves or a new look perhaps..
 

kraspkibble

Permabanned.
they messed it up at launch. it's a good game now but it's trying to convince people to play it now. that's kinda the whole point of making it free on PC.

the learned nothing with Destiny 1. I hope that they learn from 1 + 2 for Destiny 3. I think Destiny had so much potential but Bungie/Activision just weren't capable of delivering. At least not at launch and only after constant backlash from fans.
 

iconmaster

Banned
Destiny was a cynical product from the beginning: make as much money as possible from as little content as possible. I'm only disappointed that it worked well enough to make way for a sequel.

Activision is "promising investors...new forms of monetization for the game" according to Schreier. So, that sounds great.
 

johntown

Banned
Probably because the people who actually want to buy it don't want to have to pay for the garbage you have to buy before it.
 

Pejo

Member
Doesn't really need to be said, but I am with the crowd who isn't giving Bungie/Acti any more money for all the shit they pulled. If D3 exists, it better bring all of the fucking lessons learned with it, this time instead of making all the same mistakes again.

I'm actually a little impressed with the Destiny playerbase too. A lot of people said they wouldn't be supporting the game in the future and if this info is true, looks like they stuck with it.
 

Jigsaah

Gold Member
I don't mind paying for DLC...if it's warranted. Warmind and whatever the first one was called were slaps in the face. The way they treated their most avid supporters during the lead up to Forsaken also pissed me off. Everybody knows the lore was a huge disappointment in the vanilla release. The Grimoire was not interesting on its own. The youtubers who call themselves "LoreMasters" made Destiny's story interesting. Just knowing that the lore goes this deep from listening to people like "MyNameisByf" on Youtube, made me realized just how much some of Bungie's talent was squandered. They could have made the game much darker, much more epic and gave us a historical treat and a story we would remember. Instead we get the bare minimum. That what ruinied it for me, and I bought Forsakem because I loved Taken King. But I didn't want another Taken King. So I'm struggling to finish it, not because it's difficult...but because its BORING.
 

Northeastmonk

Gold Member
I didn't mind the campaign in D2, but I heard more complaints about it in public. No one I talked to had good things to say about it. What I thought was stupid- I didn't have a Sparrow. I finished the game without a Sparrow. :messenger_smiling: I thought it was so stupid that they didn't give you one right off the bat.

I didn't really want to replay anything. The Taken King was good DLC for the first one. I guess we couldn't have asked for the same thing. I can't imagine charging my debit card for microtransactions for Destiny. That's like buying a skin for my warthog.
 
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The_Mike

I cry about SonyGaf from my chair in Redmond, WA
From all the people complaining - didn’t you learn anything from the first game? This game didn’t look any different, yet you had higher expectations
 

ruvikx

Banned
I'm not a Destiny hater - at all. Mostly I don't even care enough to even bother ranting but truth be told the shootbang mechanisms are excellent. My "problem" with the game didn't even exist at first: in Destiny 1, story missions could be attempted on higher difficulties. They then patched it & removed it entirely, leaving nothing but the base piss-easy kindergarten difficulty level. Destiny 2 is the same. I get zero pleasure from slaughtering AI which just waits to get shot in the face.

Oh & the fact the player Guardian no longer speaks is a bit weird as well (he lost his voice or something). And I also (this is just me) preferred Dinklage as Ghost. Noland North's meek little girly voice (why?) is simply disgusting to my ears.
 

Ar¢tos

Member
I didn't mind the campaign in D2, but I heard more complaints about it in public. No one I talked to had good things to say about it. What I thought was stupid- I didn't have a Sparrow. I finished the game without a Sparrow. :messenger_smiling: I thought it was so stupid that they didn't give you one right off the bat.

I didn't really want to replay anything. The Taken King was good DLC for the first one. I guess we couldn't have asked for the same thing. I can't imagine charging my debit card for microtransactions for Destiny. That's like buying a skin for my warthog.
I was annoyed with that too, but I realised it was intentional to force you to get familiarised with the areas. It was only a limitation for the first character. You can transfer a sparrow to the other characters and use it as soon as you get to the farm.
 
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