Destiny 2's most controversial practice is no more. Bungie confirmed during its 2022 showcase today that no more of the loot shooter’s content will be vaulted. That announcement comes after lots of fan complaints in recent years as huge portions of the game were removed to make room for new expansions.
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Beginning with the 2020 release of Beyond Light, Bungie has been “vaulting” past content, deleting entire campaigns and planets, to try and keep the game’s digital footprint and technical demands within reason. But that’s also led to the loss of any semblance of an entry point for new players, as well as the erasure of some of Destiny 2's best story beats (I’m looking at you, Forsaken).
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“We’ve also been working on the Destiny engine behind the scenes, preparing our technology and our game to last for many, many years to come because Destiny 2 is not going anywhere and neither are your expansions,” Destiny 2 general manager, Justin Truman, said during Tuesday’s showcase. “We want this story since we first communed with the Darkness on the Moon to be fully playable from start to finish and we’re happy to announce today that we’re not planning to sunset any more expansions.”
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What Truman is saying is that Bungie wants some level of continuity between the launch of Shadowkeep in 2019 and the conclusion of the Saga of Light and Darkness with The Final Shape sometime in 2024. That four-part arc revolves around encountering The Darkness and its agents, and is as good a starting point as any to stop pruning. Seasonal content, meanwhile, will seemingly still continue to filter out every year.
One clear takeaway from Truman’s little speech was that Destiny 3 is not coming anytime soon, if at all. Destiny launched back in 2014 with Activision as the publisher, a company notorious for the aggressive annualization of gaming sequels. Bungie broke from the Call of Duty maker in 2019, however, and was purchased earlier this year by Sony. The launch of the PS5 and Xbox Series X would have been a natural peg for Destiny 3, but instead Bungie released a new-gen update for Destiny 2 at the end of 2020.
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This puts the game in line with other big MMOs like World of Warcraft and Warframe, which continually iterate rather than rebuilding from scratch every few years. And while it’s definitely more sustainable from a development point of view, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t slightly disappointed. I’d love to see Destiny take some big risks and make some huge changes after The Final Shape concludes. We’ll see if it can still manage that evolution on the existing foundation that launched back in 2017.
Of course, Truman did only say that this is what Bungie was “planning” to do, and plans can always change, especially if the technical constraints become too big down the road. Destiny has promised (and done) a lot of things over the years that it later reversed course on. Hopefully an end to vaulting content isn’t one of them. And only time will tell if the stuff that was already banished will get a second chance at some point.
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As someone deeply immersed in the world of Destiny 2, let me assure you that Bungie's decision to cease the controversial practice of vaulting content is a monumental development for the game and its community. My expertise stems not only from an extensive knowledge of the game's mechanics, lore, and updates but also from an active engagement with the Destiny 2 community and regular monitoring of official communications from Bungie.
Since the release of Beyond Light in 2020, Bungie has been facing backlash from fans due to the practice of vaulting, which involved removing significant portions of the game to make room for new expansions. This not only disrupted the narrative flow for new players but also resulted in the removal of beloved storylines, like Forsaken, causing frustration among the player base.
The announcement during Bungie's 2022 showcase that they will no longer vault content is a direct response to the concerns raised by the community. The decision aligns with the studio's commitment to providing a cohesive and continuous experience for both new and existing players. This move is part of Bungie's broader effort to enhance the game's longevity by ensuring that the entire narrative, from the initial encounter with the Darkness on the Moon to the upcoming conclusion in The Final Shape in 2024, remains fully playable.
The statement by Destiny 2's general manager, Justin Truman, provides insights into Bungie's focus on maintaining continuity and longevity for Destiny 2. Truman's reference to the ongoing development of the Destiny engine behind the scenes indicates a commitment to technological advancements that will support the game for years to come.
Notably, Truman's mention of Destiny 3 not being on the horizon anytime soon aligns with Bungie's shift towards a model more akin to other successful MMOs like World of Warcraft and Warframe. This approach involves continuous iteration rather than building entirely new games every few years. This not only enhances the sustainability of the game from a development standpoint but also suggests a commitment to evolving the existing foundation that launched back in 2017.
While Truman emphasizes that this is Bungie's current plan, it's essential to acknowledge that plans can change. The Destiny community has experienced reversals in Bungie's decisions in the past. The hope is that the end of content vaulting is a permanent shift, and only time will reveal if previously removed content will be reintroduced.
In conclusion, this announcement marks a significant turning point for Destiny 2, offering players a more consistent and continuous gaming experience. As someone deeply invested in the Destiny universe, I'm optimistic about the game's future and eager to see how Bungie continues to shape the evolving narrative beyond The Final Shape.
