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Destiny 2 Codenamed Frontiers Announced

Draugoth

Gold Member
Destiny 2 Codename: Frontiers will contain two expansions, four free major updates, kick off a new multiyear saga, and more.

d2_Frontiers_Roadmap.jpg


 
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Cakeboxer

Member
Damn, my silly old brain read at first Condemned and ignored the Destiny part. Was so glad for a millisecond.
 
  • Empathy
Reactions: Isa

Mownoc

Member
Hopefully the strategy of 2 smaller expansions more regularly (presumably at a lower cost) works better for them. But Destiny 2 never hooked me, I liked the original though.
 

tmlDan

Member
Hopefully the strategy of 2 smaller expansions more regularly (presumably at a lower cost) works better for them. But Destiny 2 never hooked me, I liked the original though.
Its crazy to think that yearly expansions costing as much as a full game worked for so long, id think that 20-40$ expansions should work much better
 

Nydius

Member
Two expansions per year? Hope they aren’t planning on trying to charge $40 per expansion like they do currently, just for base access.

Their obscene monetization scheme that walls off content to only those whales continually willing to pay is a major reason why I, and damn near everyone in my D1 and original D2 clans, quit the game.
 

Bond007

Member
From what i read if i understood correctly- the two smaller expansions are free.
The larger annual one wasnt mentioned- so we can assume they will charge for that one once a year. (Multi-Year saga)

As someone that recently returned to the fold- im excited for the new content. Games have been milked before and further.
The gameplay is still top notch even if their vision isn't always on par.
 
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Mownoc

Member
From what i read if i understood correctly- the two smaller expansions are free.
The larger annual one wasnt mentioned- so we can assume they will charge for that one once a year.

As someone that recently returned to the fold- im excited for the new content. Games have been milked before and further.
The gameplay is still top notch even if their vision isn't always on par.
  • Two Expansions per year
  • Four Major Updates of FREE content every year

They specify the major updates as free, but not the expansions. Implying they are paid expansions.
 

StreetsofBeige

Gold Member
The updates go to spring 2026. Who knows when Marathon will come out (next year?). But with D2 to 2026, chances of a Destiny 3 anytime soon is zero. Sony even said future projects from Bungie to go SIE, so even if a D3 comes out in the future it'll be an SIE studio doing it. So Bungie's survival depends on how much Destiny 2 and Marathon will last them.

d2_Frontiers_Roadmap.jpg
 
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Mibu no ookami

Demoted Member® Pro™
I thought Destiny 2 was done?

And that's the problem with a lot of online discourse. Destiny 2 isn't done. The Light and Darkness Saga came to a close in Final Shape.

When Bungie restructured they made it clear that Destiny 2 and Marathon was their focus.

There are also rumors about a Destiny Mobile from NetEase.

I'm not sure why people thought Destiny was over, especially as Bungie has said time and time again that it wasn't. I hate to cite Paul Tassi, but he covered it in August.

Further Clarity On ‘Destiny 2: Frontiers,’ ‘Destiny 3’ And The State Of Bungie
 

nikos

Member
This all sounds really good. Hopefully it pans out and they find ways to keep the game feeling fresh instead of a grind. Even some structural changes, which sounds like are included here, could help.
 

splattered

Member
Man i'm sorry i just can't play this game anymore. Finished the campaign with the wife and i'm pretty much done. I haven't booted it up since... haven't even watched the echo trailers. Time to move on <3
 
I would get back into Destiny if they ever put the content I paid for back into the game. The moment to moment gameplay is really fun and I do actually miss it. I have yet to play a looter shooter that scratches the same itch. But sunsetting the Destiny 2 part of Destiny 2 is still bullshit.
 

StreetsofBeige

Gold Member
Without a D3 in the works or even started they fucked up enough that Sony likely told them to focus on D2.

They kinda had to do this until they decide what the future holds.
Unless Sony does a 180 and greenlights them more titles to work on, the fact future games go to SIE means D2 and Marathon are their last games. And neither one will last forever. So at some point they'll be gone. When D2 and Marathon fizzle out, the studio will be shut down. Or sold off for pennies on the dollar to any other company to make new shooter games since Destiny and Marathon wont be worth much at that time (assuming Sony even allowed them to keep the rights in a resale).

One thigs for sure, if they do successfully sell them off in the future, there's no way it'll come close to $3.6B, esp if Sony holds onto the game rights to Destiny and anything else. Bungie would be a studio of hundreds of employees with no IPs left in their holster.
 
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Quotes from the blog post are below, but here's a summary:
  • There will now be two "medium-sized" expansions per year (one every six months) and four major free updates per year (one every three months)
    • The four major updates will replace the Episode model that is in place for the year of The Final Shape
  • Apollo is the codename for the game's next expansion set to release in Summer 2025, while Behemoth is the codename for Winter 2025's expansion
    • Apollo will be the start of the next multiyear saga, continuing on from The Final Shape's Episodes, which will have its own theme (similar to how the first saga's theme was Light and Darkness)
    • Apollo will be a 'nonlinear character-driven adventure". "Previously (...) you experienced the story as A to B to C to D in a nice straight line. In Codename: Apollo, (...) the story starts at A, and then you can choose if you want to explore C first, or try and get into B, or maybe investigate D."
    • The narrative structure of the expansions after Apollo "will be quite different" and will "suit that game's experience". Not every expansion will have the same story / progression structures
    • "Apollo ends with the narrative gasoline that will propel us into the next few years with a clear theme, goal, and a destination that won't come at you as a straight line but will be well-worth the trip. It'll reward you, it'll surprise you, and it'll take us places Destiny has never seen before."
  • Frontiers is the codename for "major innovations coming to Destiny over the next few years starting with our next expansion, Codename: Apollo"
  • Expansions will now be more experimental, rather than following the same formula that's been in place since Shadowkeep. "We are actively prototyping non-linear campaigns, exploration experiences similar to the Dreaming City or Metroidvanias, and even more unusual formats like roguelikes or survival shooters. Each expansion will present a new opportunity to try something different."
    • "The big Seasonal resets will still happen, but now twice a year, alongside the Expansions." I'm not entirely sure what this means
    • "Each update will be a substantial refresh of the core game, bringing new activities and reward content. We are also excited to announce that, like Destiny 2: Into the Light, these updates and their content will be free to all players."
  • The Director is being modernized "for everyone to find and launch into great activities"
  • Reward model is being reworked to ensure meaningful rewards
    • There will be a new Challenge Customization that allows you to add gameplay modifiers to earn better rewards across both PvE and PvP. Rewards will include "higher tiers of the Legendary gear—think Adept weapons and Artifice armor"
    • "These won't just be simple incoming damage increases either—the team is cooking up some great gameplay modifiers that give enemies some exciting tools to mix things up on every run."


Today marks the 10-year anniversary of Destiny. We set out in 2014 to do something new and different for our studio. We've conquered the Witness, looted Dungeons, ascended to the Lighthouse, and more. Now, we look to the future.

We're plotting our course to the stars through Codename: Frontiers. We closed a door with The Final Shape, but we are opening a new one, a weird one, an exciting one, that takes Destiny to places it has never been before. We're building this future now and are excited to share with you a first glimpse of it today.

This roadmap lays out our plan for Year 11 and beyond, with some exciting changes to our annual model:
  • Two Expansions per year
  • Four Major Updates of FREE content every year
Over the next few months, we will be sharing more info with you on Codename: Frontiers, which is how we are describing major innovations coming to Destiny over the next few years starting with our next expansion, Codename: Apollo. We have several Dev Insight deep dives going live today and will continue to add more to this list over the weeks and months to come.

Today, we also have Tyson Green, the Game Director for Destiny 2 and Alison Lührs, the Destiny 2 Narrative Director, diving through some of our future plans for Destiny 2. Our goal is to be more transparent in our communications with you. This means sharing our work more frequently, even if you see our mistakes and false starts along the way. So, please remember that our roadmap and plans are subject to change as we get deeper into development.


I mean.....it actually seems like a small step in the right direction.
 
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rm082e

Member
Huh... I haven't been following Bungie for a while because IDGAF about Destiny. I guess I was hoping they were going to move on to a new IP that might actually interest me. Bummer.
 

StreetsofBeige

Gold Member
  • Expansions will now be more experimental, rather than following the same formula that's been in place since Shadowkeep. "We are actively prototyping non-linear campaigns, exploration experiences similar to the Dreaming City or Metroidvanias, and even more unusual formats like roguelikes or survival shooters. Each expansion will present a new opportunity to try something different."
My first impression of these offshoot experimental content packs is it'll be full fledge D2 but with a slightly different feel to it so it new.

In reality, theyve gutted the studio so much, it might be a team of people making low budget Destiny universe versions of Gwent, Enter the Gungeon or a Returnal rip off.

One thing's for sure. Given the situation, it'll be low dev cost/budget friendly content they can churn out fast.
 
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The updates go to spring 2026. Who knows when Marathon will come out (next year?). But with D2 to 2026, chances of a Destiny 3 anytime soon is zero. Sony even said future projects from Bungie to go SIE, so even if a D3 comes out in the future it'll be an SIE studio doing it. So Bungie's survival depends on how much Destiny 2 and Marathon will last them.

d2_Frontiers_Roadmap.jpg

They're cancelling Marathon aren't they?
 
feels like someone got cold feet after realising that the projects in their pipeline will either be hugely delayed or end up like Concord.
So better try to squeeze the golden goose for as long as possible.
 

Mibu no ookami

Demoted Member® Pro™
The updates go to spring 2026. Who knows when Marathon will come out (next year?). But with D2 to 2026, chances of a Destiny 3 anytime soon is zero. Sony even said future projects from Bungie to go SIE, so even if a D3 comes out in the future it'll be an SIE studio doing it. So Bungie's survival depends on how much Destiny 2 and Marathon will last them.

d2_Frontiers_Roadmap.jpg

That is not what they said...
 

tmlDan

Member
Unless Sony does a 180 and greenlights them more titles to work on, the fact future games go to SIE means D2 and Marathon are their last games. And neither one will last forever. So at some point they'll be gone. When D2 and Marathon fizzle out, the studio will be shut down. Or sold off for pennies on the dollar to any other company to make new shooter games since Destiny and Marathon wont be worth much at that time (assuming Sony even allowed them to keep the rights in a resale).

One thigs for sure, if they do successfully sell them off in the future, there's no way it'll come close to $3.6B, esp if Sony holds onto the game rights to Destiny and anything else. Bungie would be a studio of hundreds of employees with no IPs left in their holster.
I think you're right, but there is no way Sony is selling the studio, they're gonna try their best to being it back to form.

This current period over the next few years will be crucial for them as a studio, they need to come up with a solid plan - I still think it has to be D3. They need something to revitalize the brand if Marathon doesn't hit.
 
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Mibu no ookami

Demoted Member® Pro™
feels like someone got cold feet after realising that the projects in their pipeline will either be hugely delayed or end up like Concord.
So better try to squeeze the golden goose for as long as possible.

Or this was always the plan as confirmed by... coverage of this plan before and you're just projecting your own agenda...
 

Nydius

Member
Bungie must make this game easy to get into for new or lapsed players. Its a convoluted mess.

Completely agree but judging by the blog post, it's looking like it's about to become an even more convoluted mess where narrative structure and quest design will be all over the place.
 
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Raven117

Member
I just....I don't know.

After 10 years and a decent end of the road story with TFS...I think its time to jump off this train.

But hey, I'll see how this gets received and maybe I'll give it a go next year (depends on what else is out at that time).

(There is no way Sony isn't already insisting on D3. Especially after the spectacular failures of Concord (and likely other GaaS games). They need a GaaS hit. And a newly revamped, newly imagined D3 would provide that (if there is any talent left at Bungie).
 
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StreetsofBeige

Gold Member
That is not what they said...
Then what did Sony say?


Sony has started carving large chunks out of Bungie in the wake of mass layoffs and overspending. Back office functions and future game projects have now moved under SIE, while Bungie itself will now work on Destiny 2 and Marathon only.


Totoki said that the purpose of the restructure is “cost restructure and portfolio optimization.” They also said that Bungie’s back office functions “should be integrated with the studio of SIE.”

Totoki further mentioned plans to concentrate Bungie’s head count and resources on Destiny 2 and live-service title Marathon. They said there would be “constant resources there.” However, “other title development” will instead move to PlayStation studios.
 

Reaseru

Member
From a company who separated from Microsoft because they didn't wanted continuing making great games for the Halo franchise to a company who can't stop making average expansions from a mediocre franchise that it's Destiny.
 
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StreetsofBeige

Gold Member
feels like someone got cold feet after realising that the projects in their pipeline will either be hugely delayed or end up like Concord.
So better try to squeeze the golden goose for as long as possible.
Thats what they are doing. But with D2 and Marathon being their last games, Sony and Bungie leadership have decided to milk it as much as possible with new content, while also cutting 100s of employees in two layoffs the past year. In total probably around 400-500 were cut (with a small number of those going to SIE studios lately).

They got two games left on their plate (which might actually last a while if Marathon and the new D2 content are big hits) while trying to go lean as much as possible to make as much ROI as possible. Unless sony brass does a 180 and increases headcount to make more content or allow them to do new games in the future, the studio at some point will be in maintain mode. Then when it finally fizzles out, will be in shut down or sell it off mode.
 
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