How Does ‘Destiny 2’ End?


Bungie has been pretty good about mapping out the mid-term arc of Destiny 2. They announced The Witch Queen, Lightfall and The Final Shape as the next three expansions at the time, and now one is past, and the other two are on the horizon, with Lightfall out in February 2023, and The Final Shape, presumably, a year after that, with Bungie now being comfortable launching outside the busy holiday window.

But I want to go further than that, and I have a fundamental question. How does Destiny 2 end?

Here’s what we know from Bungie. Their view is that the current Light and Darkness Saga started with Shadowkeep, and will end with The Final Shape. I…take issue with that, and I think it’s just a convenient way to explain why they’re not going to bring back the Red War and Forsaken campaigns, but the point is, a major, multi-year arc is meant to end with The Final Shape. Older quotes indicate that really, this saga began with Destiny 1 itself, so it’s essentially going to be the end of a 10 year arc.

However, it’s implied that just because the Light and Darkness Saga ends, that does not mean Destiny 2 itself ends, with some sort of hard cut to Destiny 3 from there, which would be in 2025, by this calendar. The next saga seems likely to continue to take place within Destiny 2 with the game continually being given new expansions, just with a new foundational storyline. As in, no more giant orbs versus giant triangles, perhaps.

Logistically, here’s what I can see potentially happening in terms of the schedule:

  • 2023 – Destiny 2: Lightfall
  • 2024 – Destiny 2: The Final Shape
  • 2025 – Destiny 2: New Saga 1
  • 2026 – Destiny 2: New Saga 2
  • 2027 – Destiny 2: New Saga 3
  • 2028 – Destiny 3 or just ‘Destiny’

Why this calendar? Because my guess is that it will align with the launch of next-gen consoles for Sony and Microsoft at the end there. Both the PS5 and Xbox Series X debuted in 2020. Before that, the last generation launched in 2013. So by 2027 or at the latest, 2028, that would mean the launch of new hardware.

Fundamentally, I just don’t believe that Destiny 2, even with engine upgrades, can continue to exist forever, and well into a new console generation without calling it a day and launching a fully new game that can ditch the tech debt of what would then be a decade of Destiny 2. The game currently shows its age in many ways, and I have to imagine 5-6 years from now, that’s only going to get worse. Maybe Bungie can work some technical wizardry I don’t understand, but from what I can tell this is already what they’re doing, and I have to think there is a hard end cap to what’s possible with the current engine and game.

And that’s to say nothing of overall bloat with 7+ expansions in this scenario and a literal mountain of weapons and gear. At some point, you are going to have to wipe the slate clean again. Destiny 1 did it after just 3 years, and while I agree with Destiny 2’s desire to live a much longer life, I have to believe the clock will run out eventually, even if that’s six years from now. By that point, I think the community would probably welcome a hard reset and clean slate to a certain extent.

In terms of the storyline, that’s a lot more nebulous. I think some characters will persist for years and years. I fully expect to still be chilling with Eris Morn and Zavala in 2028. But I do think there will be some sort of catastrophic final event that will end the Traveler versus The Witness/Pyramids conflict once and for all, but allow us to retain Light and Darkness powers without them, as I mean, they’re not going to strip those away, even if the “Light and Darkness Saga” is over. For future releases, I think it’s time to leave the solar system at last, and venture into both the homeworlds of some of our enemies, and explore new locations.

So, while I do think Destiny 2 will end, I certainly do not think Destiny itself will. This is a lasting franchise. It seemed a bit absurd when Bungie announced its deal with Activision for a ten year run, but that’s about to be in the books, and then it’s about the next ten years. I fully expect Destiny to live as long as Bungie’s last IP has, Halo, and the way things are going, ultimately prove to be more successful and wider-reaching. This feels like a forever IP, even as a now Sony-owned Bungie will start to expand into new games in the future. As ever, I look forward to what’s next, both next year, and next console generation.

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Pick up my sci-fi novels the Herokiller series and The Earthborn Trilogy.





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