Activision and Bungie confirm that the Destiny sequel won’t arrive until 2017

By Kris Wouk February 12, 2016

destiny 2 overhaul pc bungie warlock melee — Image used with permission by copyright holder

In January, Kotaku reported that a sequel to Destiny, original planned to be released in September 2016, would be delayed. Now Activision has confirmed this delay, though it did add a bit of good news to help soften the blow.

“Activision Publishing, along with its partners at Bungie, expects to bring a large new expansion to Destiny in 2016 and to release a full game sequel in 2017,” a press release issued yesterday announcing the company’s fourth quarter earnings read.

That was the extent of the Destiny related news, though Bungie did elaborate somewhat in the latest installment of This Week at Bungie (formerly known as the Bungie Weekly Update).

“Prior to the holiday break we mentioned a second, larger update slated for Spring,” Bungie community manager David “DeeJ” Dague wrote. “That content release will feature a significant Light increase, a bunch of new gear to earn and equip, and new challenges for PvE players seeking some more fun experiences and replayability.”

The post then goes on to mention the coming expansion, so players can expect at least two substantial updates to the game this year. This stands in contrast to the smaller updates like Sparrow Racing League that have made up the bulk of the game’s recent additions. Dague says that more details will be available in the coming months.

Last week Bungie announced a new feature called the Damage Referee, which aims to even out inconsistencies between players with bad connections and those with good connections. Destiny design lead Lars Bakken writes that the developers are examining the new feature and “figuring out if and when we want to deploy it wider.”

The start of 2016 has been a tumultuous time for Bungie. Last month the company announced that Harold Ryan was stepping down as president after more than 15 years with the company, with Pete Parsons leading the company as its new CEO.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Kris Wouk is a tech writer, gadget reviewer, blogger, and whatever it's called when someone makes videos for the web. In his…

Gaming

Hellblade developer Ninja Theory confirms it won’t replace voice actors with AI

Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2

Ninja Theory, the developer behind the Hellblade series, denies that it will replace human voice actors with AI.

In a response to a Twitter user asking if the studio would do such a thing, Ninja Theory stated: "No. For clarity, we use this AI tech for placeholder content only to help us understand things like timing and placement in early phases of development. We then collaborate with real actors whose performances are at the heart of bringing our stories to life."

Gaming

Why the Destiny 2 and Fortnite collab makes perfect sense for Bungie

Destiny 2 skins in Fortnite.

Destiny 2 is collaborating with the Epic Games Store, including swapping some cosmetics with Fortnite and Fall Guys. This announcement leaked ahead of Bungie's Destiny 2 showcase on Tuesday, and the community reaction was mixed. After all, Destiny 2, Fortnite, and Fall Guys aren't similar games at all. But after seeing the collaborations in action, they make perfect sense. Destiny 2has seen a lot of changes over the past year, and although it's still a far cry from Fortnite or Fall Guys, trading cosmetics fits right into where Bungie, Epic Games, and Sony are heading.

Destiny 2 on Epic Games Store - Fortnite + Fall Guys Crossover Trailer
A tale of two games
The new skins come on the heels of Destiny 2 launching on the Epic Games Store, where Bungie is offering its 30th Anniversary content pack for free for the first week. Bungie says the collaboration is a celebration of the new launch, with three new skins each in Fortnite, Destiny 2, and on September 13, Fall Guys. Nothing is changing with any of these games; they're just adding new cosmetics. Still, the community isn't taking it that way. The friction with the Fortnite and Destiny 2 collaboration centers around how different the games are. The only common thread they share is that they're both multiplayer shooters, but even then, the games are so different in style and structure that they can't be compared.

Gaming

Here’s the entire Destiny 2 story explained, up through The Witch Queen

Destiny 2 Beyond Light Beginner's Guide.

Destiny 2 is here, kicking off a new chapter of Activision's wildly popular shared-world shooter. A lot has happened in the universe of Destiny since the original game launched, including expansions, large and small, which add to the story, and countless tweaks to the form and function of the game's fundamental elements. So much has happened, in fact, that a reminder might be in order for anyone wondering what's going on in Destiny these days.

The latest expansion, The Witch Queen, is actually the twelfth chapter in the Destiny saga, depending on how you count. Developer Bungie released Destiny in September 2014, followed by four major expansions: The Dark Below, House of Wolves, The Taken King, and Rise of Iron. Destiny 2 kicked off the series' second arc a few years back and has already seen a few expansions to progress the storyline even further.