Destiny 2 is making much-needed changes, but Bungie can’t repeat old mistakes

Destiny 2 Frontiers is a double entendre in every sense of the word – it’s not just the millions of Guardians who will be collectively embarking on a new journey when it kicks off in 2025, but Bungie too.

Following a long period of silence from the developer after The Final Shape‘s release – and the subsequent layoff of hundreds of staff – the studio finally revealed its hand for the looter shooter’s future on September 9, promising a long-awaited shake-up of the status quo.

Episodes, a rebrand of Destiny’s seasons that had remained largely unchanged since Season of the Undying in 2019, will be retired following the conclusion of Episode: Heresy in the first half of 2025, leading directly into Apollo in the following Summer.

It, alongside Behemoth, are the names of two “medium-sized expansions” releasing under the banner of Frontiers. Gargantuan annual add-ons in the vein of The Final Shape and Beyond Light will be no more, retired in favor of a one-two-punch approach.

“The truth is that they [annual expansions] dominate almost all of our development effort,” Bungie explained in one of several extensive blog posts setting the scene for Destiny’s future. “We need to free ourselves up to explore and innovate with how we deliver Destiny 2 content.”

Truly, it’s reassuring to read Bungie’s forthcoming admission that adherence to such a rigid content delivery model was restricting its creative freedom and that a different approach is needed.

Post-reshuffle, Destiny 2’s two mid-sized expansions will be interspersed with “four major updates of free content every year”, each providing a “substantial refresh of the core game.” As for Seasons, they’ll remain, reforged into bi-annual resets accompanying Apollo and Behemoth.

Bungie’s excitement over once again having the freedom to experiment is palpable. Infectious, even.

“We are excited to try new things that challenge your idea of what a Destiny experience can be,” they continued. “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.”

If Destiny 2’s biggest turn-off for the existing player base – and years of complaints of burnout stemming from familiarity suggest exactly that – this news should be met with joyous applause, surely?

Perhaps, but cautious optimism is closer to the truth. Bungie has always been the master of hype. Whether through wordsmithing or meticulously crafted sizzle reels, it’s remained a consistent industry leader in the sell, even since the Halo years.

For this new approach to hit the landing, Bungie must go all-in on the self-professed mantra that “Destiny is at its best when it’s mysterious, weird, and not afraid to try new things.” Apollo and Behemoth could well be the fresh start Guardians so desperately seek, but veterans can’t help but feel Deja vu creeping in.

Curse of Osiris and Warmind, released in 2017 and 2018, respectively, have inevitably become a reference point for Bungie’s description of “mid-sized.” While the latter was given a warmer welcome than its predecessor, taken together, the pair are stigmatized, synonymous with Destiny 2’s darkest years.

The concern, then, is that Bungie, undoubtedly well-intentioned, is inadvertently bringing Destiny 2 full circle. With concurrent player numbers suffering now, more than ever, it can’t afford to repeat mistakes of the past.

If Apollo and Behemoth underdeliver like their spiritual predecessors, trouble abounds. But context is key. Curse and Warmind existed in a landscape where random rolls, customization, gameplay variety, and reward space were a fraction of what they are today.

Perhaps because it knows that content of this size can’t meet the demands of an always-hungry player base, free content in the same vein as the exceptionally well-received Into the Light is intended to be supplementary.

Bungie is attempting to deliver the best of both worlds, and while I’m not entirely sold – a certain degree of skepticism is healthy – change, albeit ethereal at this stage, is coming, and I’m excited for what the future holds.