Can Bungie Really Deliver Two Destiny 2 Expansions Per Year Amid Marathon’s Release?

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Bungie is giving peace of mind to Destiny 2 players by affirming that they won’t leave the game for Marathon. They are planning to release two expansions each year starting from 2025 and putting their best efforts into making their newest extraction shooter thrive. The question remains whether they can meet this goal or if we might encounter another delay in Destiny 2 DLC releases.

Over the last few years, the company has gained a track record of frequently failing to meet deadlines for product expansion. Some of these setbacks can be attributed to unexpected events outside their influence, while others might stem from the internal struggles that Bungie has encountered lately.

Initially, the delay occurred for the Beyond Light expansion in 2020. Given the unexpected shift towards remote working due to the worldwide pandemic, it was necessary for the development team to adjust their schedule, ultimately moving the release date from September to November of the same year.

2021 wouldn’t bring any Destiny 2 expansion due to a shift in the release date of The Witch Queen from late in the year to early 2022. Originally, the plan was to produce three significant expansions (Beyond Light, The Witch Queen, and Lightfall) to finish the Light and Darkness Saga; however, these plans had to be abandoned as the studio adapted to a remote working environment.

Consequently, Lightfall turned out to be an insignificant side quest that missed its mark in terms of tone. Its primary purpose, apart from filling the void without a large DLC between The Witch Queen and Final Form, was to present the Strand subclass.

A whisper circulated that the DLC known as The Witch Queen might have been where Bungie initially intended to integrate Strand into the game. However, this rumor was dispelled by the developers. Nevertheless, it seems evident that the expansion felt somewhat forced within the game’s content schedule.

Interestingly enough, unlike other expansions, Lightfall is expected to stick to its early 2023 release schedule. On the contrary, Destiny 2: The Final Shape – Avengers-style doesn’t seem to be following a similar path.

Initially planned for February 2024, TFS was pushed back to June of the same year due to internal problems within the company, which resulted in a significant reduction of staff (about 8%) in mid-2023, as announced by Bungie.

At that stage in time, Bungie was already under Sony Interactive Entertainment’s umbrella, having been purchased by them for over $3.6 billion in the year 2022 when it was still an independent studio. Furthermore, a teaser trailer for Marathon was unveiled as recently as May 2023.

Marathon and The Final Shape were reportedly both postponed together. Bungie has not disclosed their planned release date, however, sources suggest that the team aimed to launch the game in 2024.

During challenging times for the game’s director, with a change at the helm happening during development and Joe Ziegler from Riot Games (formerly Valorant lead) stepping in by 2023, Destiny 2 players were experiencing a difficult phase.

The positive reputation Bungie rebuilt following the successful launch of Final Shape began to wane as their new Episodic format fell short of expectations, leading to a need for another change. With whispers that Destiny 2 might be discontinued and no expansions on the horizon, Bungie clarified that DLC would indeed continue, albeit with a difference. Players can now anticipate two smaller expansions annually, starting in 2025, coinciding with the release of Codename: Frontiers.

In other words, we were wondering if Bungie could fulfill all their goals for this year as promised. Frankly, it’s hard to say, but let’s hope they under-promise and over-deliver instead.

I’m hoping both Marathon and Destiny 2 will thrive. Codename: Frontiers is another major milestone for D2. The first expansion, now called “The Edge of Fate,” will have a major unveiling on April 19th. It’s expected to release sometime during the summer months.

In simpler terms, it’s proposed to delay the launch of Behemoth from winter 2025 to 2026. This gives more breathing room for Marathon in a market that is already quite busy with releases.

Independent of Bungie’s preference, it’s inevitable that many gamers will sample both Marathon and Destiny 2 since they belong to different yet appealing genres. Moreover, the release date for Borderlands 4, set for September 23, further broadens the gaming landscape.

Interestingly, there could be an advantage for Bungie to postpone Destiny 2 DLCs until 2026 instead of releasing them in 2025. Although fans might be hesitant at first, this delay could give Marathon a chance to flourish, providing Bungie with the opportunity to regain its footing after some challenging years.

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2025-04-18 12:42