This isn’t an obituary for Destiny. We promise. However, it might be time to at least start thinking about whether or not the time where the gaming community takes Destiny out back behind the shed and puts it down is coming.
Destiny has had a great run so far. It had its ups and downs for sure, but not many year-plus old games remain this relevant and popular. Many games (especially first person shooters) have their 15 minutes of fame and then a large portion of the launch day population moves on to other, newer games. Dedicated or hardcore fans stick around, sure, but that day one new game hype definitely fades. Destiny, for the most part, still really feels just as lively as ever. Well, that is until very recently.
Since it had its grand (and excellent) relaunch of sorts with Destiny: The Taken King back in September, new content has slowly started to dissipate. By this point in 2015, fans had started The Dark Below, and were already looking forward to House of Wolves. As of today in 2016, the only major battle content that have been added so far is the hard mode of King’s Fall and the subsequent challenge fights for its major bosses. It’s not nothing, but it’s still just a retread of preexisting content. Destiny lacks a diverse endgame that exists in some other bigger, paid MMOs. As amazing as King’s Fall is, you can only run it so many times before it gets boring.
There has, and will continue to be, timed events such as the Sparrow Racing League, and the Halloween Festival of the Lost event. These were fun, well-made distractions, but they still pale in comparison to full-on DLC packs featuring new areas, strikes, and/or a new raid. Last year, stuff like Sparrow Racing League would have been the perfect type of content to bridge together the expansions and keep things fresh. When that’s all that’s being added, though, it’s hard not to get a little worried.
That worrying feeling is amplified thanks to the lack of information coming from Bungie about Destiny’s future. Last week, we learned about the Crimson Days event, which is a Valentine’s Themed event designed around “couple” based, two player team content. Again, another neat event that would be great as filler content, but hardly headline material.
Especially because this was the first fans had heard from Bungie since the holidays. Many were pulling for some major news. Perhaps feeling that anxious vibe from the community, Bungie made sure to follow that news up with a message from their community manager, Deej, assuring fans that there is more to look forward to in 2016:
“We know that many of you wanted more news beyond our February event. We know that your imaginations for how we might challenge you next are limitless, and we love you for that. It’s why we do what we do.
Very soon, we’ll have more to share about a second, larger game update that will arrive sometime after February. There are more stories about 2016 that remain to be told, and you’ll learn more as soon as I get my own anxious hands on the full and final details. Same goes for the rest of the February update. Until it’s ready to be scrutinized under the spotlight, it’s all a work in progress.” via Bungie
That’s something, at least, but it’s hardly anything solid enough to hang your Destiny hope caps on. Especially with rumors circulating that Destiny 2 may not launch later this year like many thought that it would. This development, if true, could play out one of two ways.
If the plan was originally to let Destiny wind down during the first half of 2016 and then hit us with a Destiny 2 announcement for the fall, then perhaps that could be replaced with some actual new content to tide fans over to 2017. That’s the optimistic scenario.
What is probably just as likely, though, is that maybe this is it for Destiny. Love or hate it, this is the Destiny we’re going to have to get used to until Destiny 2. The occasional themed event that you log on for and enjoy for a couple of weeks before you get bored again and take another break. Maybe you’ll pop on every once in a while to mess around with some raid buddies or to help a friend clear a raid challenge. But there’s just not much out there for the hardcore Destiny fan that’s done and seen it all right now and, until we hear otherwise, there’s nothing that’s going to change that. Besides Trials of Osiris, of course, man that mode is the best. But I digress.
Until we hear what that “bigger” announcement Bungie has planned for Destiny players, let’s not throw the dirt onto Destiny’s coffin just yet. However, just incase, go call your Destiny raid buddies, tell them you love them. Next time you whip out that Destiny game box, give it a big hug. Because that next time could be the last.
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