As Bungie prepares the final content update for Destiny 2 on June 9th, marking the end of support for the 2017 live service shooter, reports have begun circulating about what’s next. Unsurprisingly, it’s not good. Between plans for significant layoffs and Destiny 3 not being in active production, Bungie may end up a shadow of its former self.
Forbes’ Paul Tassi added to this with new details from his own sources. It seems the decision to stop supporting Destiny 2 was unknown to most of the studio until the actual announcement. As such, the team continued working on future content, including an alleged expansion called Shattered Cycle. Those who were knowledgeable about the decision reportedly felt isolated and “begged” the higher-ups to let more of the studio know about it.
Regarding the layoffs, a town hall meeting was apparently held that saw leadership questioned multiple times about the same. There was no answer, but despite being “significant,” they’re apparently not “immediately imminent,” per Tassi. In the meantime, you probably shouldn’t expect a Destiny 3 announcement any time soon.
Why didn’t it begin development immediately after The Final Shape? Because, as Schreier noted on Twitter, “The answer (as it usually is) is how much money it would take.” With how Sony’s live-service initiative has fared over the past several years, it’s understandably not going to make that investment any time soon.
This doesn’t mean Bungie is completely abandoning the IP, though – it’s apparently pitching other titles that use it without being a “full sequel.” What shape that will take remains to be seen, but as of now, Destiny, as fans know it, is effectively over.