IbizaPocholo
NeoGAFs Kent Brockman
An obituary for Destiny and Destiny 2.
- (00:02–00:47) The speaker, games journalist Jason Schreier, recalls receiving a copy of Destiny in 2014 while working at Kotaku. Although he initially expected to play only briefly, the game quickly became an obsession, consuming around 500 hours in just two months.
- (00:47–02:33) He explains that part of Destiny's magic came from its flaws and friction. Complaining about the game with friends became part of the social experience, especially during raids like Vault of Glass and Crota's End. The mystery and lack of hand-holding in raids created memorable cooperative moments.
- (02:55–04:26) The expansion The Taken King is described as a major turning point that elevated Destiny's quality. However, the release of Destiny 2 and its hard reset of player progress caused the speaker to lose interest, especially as the sequel never captured the same addictive feeling.
- (04:26–05:44) Bungie announced that Destiny 2 would receive one final update before entering maintenance mode, effectively ending active development for the franchise. Schreier reports that there is currently no Destiny 3 in development, and Bungie is instead prototyping ideas while preparing for layoffs.
- (05:44–07:26) The video reviews Destiny's origins after Bungie split from Microsoft and signed a huge publishing deal with Activision. The original plan envisioned a decade-long franchise cycle of numbered sequels and major expansions.
- (07:26–10:28) Internal struggles over Destiny 2's delays led to leadership changes at Bungie. Eventually, Bungie rejected Activision's preference for frequent sequels and annualized releases, choosing instead to turn Destiny 2 into a long-term live-service platform. This disagreement contributed to Bungie and Activision splitting in 2019.
- (10:28–12:57) After becoming free-to-play and later being acquired by Sony for $3.6 billion in 2022, Destiny 2 gradually declined in player engagement despite successful expansions like The Final Shape. Bungie also canceled projects such as "Payback," a rumored third-person Destiny spin-off.
- (13:15–16:28) Schreier argues that modern AAA game development costs are the biggest reason Destiny 3 is not happening. He estimates a new Destiny game could cost $300–500 million before marketing, making it extremely risky in today's gaming market where development budgets continue rising while player spending stagnates.
- (16:28–19:53) The speaker highlights broader industry problems: overwhelming competition, live-service fatigue, player loyalty to games like Fortnite and Minecraft, and the rising costs of both development and consumer living expenses. Bungie is now focusing resources on Marathon while exploring smaller-scale future projects.
- (19:53–21:42) Schreier ends on a personal note, explaining how reporting on Destiny's troubled development helped launch his career as an author through his book Blood, Sweat, and Pixels. Despite Destiny's flaws, he considers it deeply meaningful because of the friendships, memories, and career opportunities it created.