Destiny 2 will have "a steady stream" of new experiences instead of content droughts
Destiny 2 is coming, and perhaps not a moment too soon.
Activision first said a Destiny sequel would be coming in 2017 in February 2016. Bungie itself confirmed the Destiny 2 news on the same day, but said it wouldn't be ready to talk about it till well after Destiny: Rise of Iron.
In the long silence, it appears nothing has changed. During Activision's financial briefing today, Activision publishing boss Eric Hirshberg said Destiny 2 is still on schedule.
“We’re on track and excited about what we think is going to be an awesome sequel for Destiny in 2017," he said.
Although the executive would not be further drawn on the subject of release dates, he did offer a few other key comments, notably that "the sequel is designed to excite both our highly engaged current players, but also to broaden the appeal even further, bringing in new fans and bringing back old fans as well".
To make this talk of timing and bringing in old fans even more interesting, Hirshberg's next comment specifically addressed one Destiny's biggest problem - content droughts. After dropping two DLC packs and an expansion in its first year, Destiny kind of went dormant, with one major update supplying a little boost of content but otherwise falling back on microtransaction-supported events to keep players engaged.
This lack of content is one reason why we're all so ready to believe frequent rumours that Destiny suffers from development and pipeline problems, with Bungie struggling to produce new material in a timely fashion due to tech issues. These rumours certainly won't be any less credible following Hirshberg's statement.
“Beyond that, the incredible demand for Destiny content has somewhat outpaced our ability to deliver upon that demand, and going forward along with our partners at Bungie, have put together what we believe is a very smart approach that will allow us to deliver the steady stream of great content to keep our players engaged and keep our universe alive and growing in the wake of that sequel," he said.
Destiny 2 is rumoured for PC, PS4 and Xbox One, and will probably release in September 2017, unless Bungie and Activision really surprise us.
So stay patient, Guardians: Destiny Year 3 may be a bit grim if you're not keen on dropping cash on new emotes and vanity items, but with any luck Destiny 2 will be more the sort of experience you're after.