By all accounts, Destiny 2 should have been a slam dunk. The original game, in spite of middling critical reception and problems with the grind, managed to cultivate a hell of a community, an via their feedback, Bungie eventually righted the ship and managed to turn Destiny into somewhat of a flawed gem.
Now, with Destiny 2, with three years of feedback, and with them starting over, by all accounts, they should have had a home run on their hands; and if we were to judge this game purely on the basis of its sales performance, where it has outsold the original title, then sure, it has. But there is a distinct difference this time around compared to the original.
The original Destiny had passionate fans who loved the game and all it had to offer- Destiny 2, on the other hand, has angry fans. Fans who are angry because Bungie seems to have ruined everything they loved about the original (the end game has been streamlined, and the depth and nuance is all gone), continues messing things up, has taken several steps back in terms of content and QoL features from the original game, has had a disappointing expansion and raid, and most of all, is subject to Bungie’s overt display of greed- even the new event for the Holidays is all centered around abusive lootboxes, more than anything else.
Bungie doesn’t seem to be interested in fixing any of this- they have been remarkably tone deaf through all of this. At this point, it almost feels like they are willing to sacrifice the long term health of the brand just for some short term profits- a strategy that may work now, but will obviously backfire on them in the long run.
I don’t know how to fix Destiny 2, because there are simply too many problems with the game, and Bungie keeps adding to them. But maybe pretending to care for your fans and what they have to say would be a good first step, rather than figuring out more ways to push players towards loot boxes. Just a though, Bungie.
