Looking at Destiny from the perspective of a big publisher like Activision and an ambitious studio like Bungie, Destiny 2's inevitable fate is perhaps easy to determine. If the franchise is to expand and thrive, it can't just keep relying on yearly expansions and, if you'll pardon the pun, sticking to its guns. With every new slice of content, Destiny becomes more and more difficult for newcomers to get into - and that's a problem when you're trying to transform it into a massive money making machine.
With that in mind, the logical thing to do is craft a sequel - not an expansion, but a fully blown sequel that starts things anew. This way, you invite back the existing audience with similar themes and gameplay, while also welcoming newbies to the fray with what is hopefully an altogether better game. Unsurprisingly, it sounds like this is exactly what Activision and Bungie are doing.
Originating on NeoGAF and backed up by sources that have disclosed similar information to Kotaku, these rumoured Destiny 2 details are pretty in-depth, telling us a lot about what the aforementioned companies are trying to achieve with the supposed 2017 sequel.
For starters, as mentioned, sources claim that Destiny 2 will be an entirely new title. It won't be released off the back of the original Destiny - you're going to get this in a brand new box and it'll be its own separate entity. Apparently, this may also mean that your characters, equipment, and Destiny progress in general will not carry over to this fresh release. Kotaku mentions that "Bungie's leadership wants Destiny 2to feel like a proper sequel" and writes that "people connected to Bungie have made comparisons to Blizzard's Diablo 2, which iterated on the first game in some incredible ways but didn't carry over characters or content from Diablo". The report continues: "all signs point to the developers starting from scratch".
It's been brought up numerous times since Destiny launched, but it's no secret that the game reportedly suffered from a troubled development. According to one of Kotaku's sources, The Taken King acted as a sort of Destiny reboot, fixing the base release's "small" problems, whereas Destiny 2 will fix "big" problems.
Digging even deeper, benny_a of NeoGAF claims that Vicarious Visions - a studio owned by Activision - is helping with the sequel's development. What's more, Kotaku goes on to detail Bungie's plans for "play-in destinations". Essentially, Destiny 2 sounds like it could be a lot more fleshed out, with the report mentioning that things like "towns" and "outposts" will be present in the game's world. Given that the developer has now dropped support for last-gen consoles, we can certainly see Destiny 2 being a much more expansive experience.
So, what do you make of all this? It sounds logical to us, but are you convinced? Tell us what you'd like from Destiny 2 in the comments section below.
[source neogaf.com, via kotaku.com]
Comments 34
I'd be happy if it was truly "MMORPG" while keeping the awesome shooter-mechanics and controls. This and a solid story making up for the disaster the first one was.
I could see them at least making it so your character carries over - I just don't think that your progress will matter. Can definitely see everyone starting from scratch. Maybe returning players will get exclusive stuff to start with? That'd make sense, although I'm sure a lot of people will still be annoyed with the fact that all the hard work they put into Destiny basically means next to nothing.
It would need to be almost perfect before I'd consider going back to a Destiny game. While Vault of Glass will always hold a special place in my memory, the rest of the game and the work they did on it was just cynical crap IMO
No online connection required for single player
Been playeing Destiny since a week after release, probably played it more than I've played any game ever. But in no way do I want anything from Destiny 1 to carry over, I'd love a whole new start,new weapons, areas and whatnot, if it reuses any of the areas in the current Destiny I don't think I'll play it. I'm just so sick of running through them at this stage.
One thing i always thought Destiny needed in its open world areas was "outposts/town" like areas, where not the whole land was filled with enemy's. so if that's true I'll be happy. Like, instead of heading back to the tower to get bounties why not be able to travel to a place in th area you're already in and pick them up.
@Fall1313
"No online connection required for single player"
This is the single question that once again will determine whether I preorder day one or skip it entirely- not even so much as a $5 pickup in a bargain bin.
hopefully this will bring some nice additions in the sequel. That being said I have been enjoying the expansions over the last three years. Shame there won't be more.
I would really like to get into Destiny, I just don't have the time required to do the game justice! Which probably means I will give the new one a miss too. Is it as much of a grind as WOW? I got to level 60 and then thought to myself, I don't need this game anymore!
If they make it so character's carry over I doubt i'll be picking this up, i've not played destiny since the first expansion (The Dark Below I think it was called) and I won't be buying Destiny 2 unless it's a total revamp of everything, and I mean everything. Bunjie or Activision couldn't make a true MMO if there live's depended on it so I wouldn't hope for that either.
They promised one type of game but released a very different one. Another No Man's Sky but without the public outcry and backlash. I wanted Destiny to be the game they promised it would be, but I don't trust them now.
The dodgy pricing of dlc doesn't help either.
Convinced? Definitely not.
@LieutenantFatman @xMEADx Couldn't agree more.
Add more content this time around, fix the issues the first one had and stop overcharging with the DLCs, and finally actually deliver on their promises then I'll consider.
If they are worried about the game being less and less accessable with every expansion then being able to carry over charcter and progress does not make much sense. It will again feel less accessable for new players. For me I tried the game at lanuch did not get into it. Then tried again this year but felt like I was too late to the party and sold it after a few weeks. i would give Destiny 2 a chance because it would be a fresh start.I would not be suprised if they look at some kind of optional subscription model for the new game. Where the expansions are free and you get other benefits as well. While still keeping the paid expansions for people who do not want to subscribe.
@LieutenantFatman really, no backlash? There was tons as I remember it. Not until TTK did people chill out and even then you got people moaning.
The games obvious limitations annoy me but I never followed any of the prerelease hype and basically got it day 1 not knowing what to expect which probably helped.
Anyway, the only way is up, I'm all in for Destiny 2!
Hope they have FULL matching making support for EVERY game type.
I will wait a year so I can pick the base game up plus all the DLC packs with it for £35!! In NO WAY will I be rushing to buy this game as I think most of us got burn't from the first game.
@kyleforrester87 I suppose there were a few negative comments here and there but I think overall they got away with it. Certainly when compared to NMS.
@LieutenantFatman It was really a lot worse than you remember it, much more than a comment here or there. But i guess it shows that they have done a decent job of improving things if those early days are less memorable..
@LieutenantFatman it was much worse than that, and I was part of the criticism party too in year 1.
After all the issues, overpriced dlcs and broken promises, I am still playing the game and I have put hundreds of hour in it. It is very fun game especially if you have friends to play with, so I am totally sold for the sequel
@kyleforrester87 exactly... They listen the fanbase all the time and you can see that each update fix most of the problems that rise.
Galvatron knows exactly what Destiny 2 needs to be in order to be a critical success, as rest assured it will be a commercial success. But some background scene-setting is required from the expectations of Destiny 1.
Back then, all PlayStation owners were celebrating Bungies' multiformat deal, which would bring that incredible, genre-defining gameplay to Sony's machine and give us bragging rights as to the undisputed leader in all things FPS.
What were these things? Having bought an X-Box back in the day PURELY for Halo (yup, even now THAT good), this is what we expected from Destiny as a natural succession to Halo, which at this point was over 12 years old......
1) proper levels which according to the early bombast from the devs were more like actual planets we could fully EXPLORE
2) decent AI which helped Define Halo as a masterpiece - remember the Brutes and how they visibly employed aggressive, and defensive, tactics against you? Especially on Legendary mode....
3) The phenomenal ability to strike down an enemy plane, kill the enemy, then steal it and fly dozens of metres up high and let rip with missiles?
4) the story......which when combined with the majestic music from Martin O' Donnell created a fantastic space opera that REALLY got the energon levels pumping
5) the gunplay, which really was combat evolved.
.....then Destiny arrived, and only number 5, the gunplay, made the cut.
Destiny 2 needs Bungie to go back to the drawing board and retain multiplayer missions / daily or weekly objectives, raids etc, BUT give us MUCH larger levels for Halo mayhem, vehicles you can use the verticality of levels for, fantastic AI for more levels like The Silent Cartographer - and a story that we really can get into.
Hell, if they can't make the exploring planets levels then for gods sake just make larger scale levels of the calibre in, yup, Combat Evolved.
That game is over 15 years old. 15......Bungie, you won the world over with that game for all the right reasons, go back to what made it great, incorporate multiplayer into regular missions OUTSIDE the campaign, and keep the supreme balletic gunplay mastered in Destiny.
It's simple really, send an invoice to Galvatron for getting peeps excited for Destiny 2 😏
@Galvatron wouldn't Galvatron need to send his invoice to Bungie, rather?
Ha ha, first is purchase order then invoice is sent, no? 😊
@Galvatron
I gather the story was shaping up to be quite good before the Activision Execs hacked it to pieces and demanded the most vanilla of all vanilla to appeal to everyone. The Grimoire hints at stuff a lot.
@RPE83 I've heard a lot of rumors but that's all it is at the end of the day, I doubt we'd ever find out. Activision have gotten a lot of stick for Destiny's problems but likewise without their financial clout it probably wouldn't have happened in the first place/had good servers etc.
I also heard the engine Bungie are using is awful for developing new spaces which is why new real content has been few and far between and we've seen a lot of recycled spaces and assets.
Again it's just stuff you read on the net so who knows! Hopefully Destiny 2 has a more powerful engine that quickly lets them develop new spaces, though.
@JaxonH @Fall1313 Don't want to be the party pooper here but I think the chances of Destiny 2 being offline in any shape or form are slim to none.
@ShogunRok i'd prefer been able to make new. The character creation isn't great and they could improve it a lot
@xMEADx
Perhaps it will be like Mass Effect, where you can easily import only a physical representation of a long term character into the new engine rather than have to create them from scratch again, thus saving hours for people with OCD.
I can see the value in having your character transfer over but I also like to have the chance of playing as a new class. While you can do that in Destiny it does feel a bit of a grind even with the shortcuts to get where my warlock currently is.
There's also the danger of making Destiny 1 obsolete if you did carry your character over. Possible PSX reveal maybe?
Isn't vicarious visions developing crash for ps4 unless they finished it or split the team in 2 groups
A completely fresh start, in whatever form, is the only way I will be interested in Destiny again. I abandoned the game on the back of their horrible DLC approach and I'm still amazed that they are able to get away with locking people out of the game unless they buy every expensive add-on, but that's by-the-by.
A new beginning would be welcome but I'd also like to see a different approach from Bungie and Activision will a lot more respect for their customers.
I love the ganking in games like Diablo 2 and WOW. In some zones it's safe but in some zones it's like the wild west - a free for all. The tension of completing a quest with PVP is thrilling. Being owned? Right let's call on friends or clan members to'help'. Yep a decent MMO builds comradery and friendship. If destiny can build on top of what they already got it would be pretty sweet. More variation in aliens would help. Double or triple it! Game lost it's focus of a sci-fi shooter and became a closest 'medieval hack n slash'- I lost interest at that point.
it needs a radical overhaul and redesign of many of its systems, imo. yes the basic gunplay/shooting mechanics are excellent, but it's really stretching it's meagre content to breaking point, and trying every little trick to disguise how miuch of a chore it can be.
recommended level 370 for raid.. yeah, here's loads of blue engrams at 340, so you should play about 100 heroic strikes, and maybe you'll get enough lucky drops to get up to 355, and still not high enough for nightfall even.
all that old content, like the awesome vault of glass, lets keep that level 26 and rewards at level 170 so nobody has a reason at all to play it anymore. just repeat the same few 15-20 miniute strikes over and over again. all those iconic weapons like fatebringer, found verdict, mythoclast.. all junk now. all old content totally irrelevant.
WAY too many economies/currencies in the game. just more frustrating mechanisms in the way.
it needs a totally new content delivery system to be the game it wants to be. randomly generated levels/strikes similar to warframe or diablo 3's dungeons is probably too much to ask with destiny's level of polish, but it needs to keep things fresher.
the public matchmaking needs vastly improved - i don't mean for strikes, prison of elders and the like, but during general patrols and stuff. early on in demos, it showed public events as way more player heavy than i've ever experienced for the most part. 80% of time, i'd be taking on a devil walker solo, or with only my fireteam. court of oryx, most of the time, i'd just arrive and there'd be nobody there. the game world should feel more alive with guardians.
the story.. for crying out loud, just make it coherent and sensible. vanilla destiny and its expansions (that've i've played) are mostly random gibberish.
@leucocyte I agree with pretty much all that - still like the game though... But yeah, there's just no way I'm grinding out those same few strikes to get gear to take me up to the level for the raid.
More customisation options for your build would really help. It wouldn't be so bad getting a ton of 340 engrams if each one had more interesting stats/buffs/abilities tied to it. The skills and stat buffs that they have all just seem so meaningless aside from on some of the exotics.
The differences between classes is way to minimal, too.
@kyleforrester87 - the customisation options actually declined to the game's detriment imo since the taken king expansion. infusion was the worst mechanic ever introduced to the game. it meant keeping weapons and gear and levelling them up for various builds became too much of a grind, and as soon as you got a higher level gear it got smashed into whatever piece was favoured. depending on whether nightfalls were arc/solar/void burn, i had completely different setups.. which didn't happen after TTK came out. i stopped playing it a few weeks later after finishing the king's fall raid a couple of times (its gear seemed rubbish compared to what VoG and Crota dropped). and that's after having 3 characters (1 of each class) maxed out in year 1.
@leucocyte I agree with that, but I would like abilities (not the light level) to be infused into armour and weapons from stuff you'd otherwise junk. That way you could really customise your gear to your liking and even low light green items would have value if they had neat abilities or other stats you could extract.
Then you could really build up various armour sets depending on your role (tanking/healing/farming, whatever)
Of course that's just one change that would help..
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