Video game company acquisitions have gradually become larger, with Microsoft acquiring ZeniMax Media and Activision Blizzard recently, or Sony acquiring Insomniac Games in 2019.Destiny 2’s developer was independent following its split from Activision until today when it was confirmedSony is acquiring Bungiefor $3.6 billion. Bungie’s statements after the news confirmed it will retain full creative control over its games, and no PlayStation-exclusives are planned. Many players were quick to worry about what will happen toDestiny 2and future Bungie releases.
Bungie’s multiplatform promise after the Sony acquisitioncould turn the tables on Xbox because of the different approach these companies seem to have with their latest purchases. This type of deal could be the result of Bungie’s previous experiences with Microsoft first, and with Activision later; both of which the Bellevue studio paid a high price to walk out of. If the multiplatform promise holds true, it’s safe to assume thatDestiny 2has the potential for big growth in the near future once the late Year 5 Seasons go into development alongside theLightfallexpansion.
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Bungie’s Past, Present, and Future After the Sony Acquisition
Bungie is known for its work onHalo, which made Xbox the go-to platform for competitive shooters for many years - olderHalogame servers on Xbox 360 only shut down recently. Still, Bungie gave up itsHalorights when it parted ways with Microsoft in search of its own independence, though this was partly given up with a deal to publishDestinyand laterDestiny 2with Activision. Bungie was one of the largest and most long-standing independent video game studios around, and seeing its troubled history with the partnerships, it seems weird to some fans that the company would seal a deal with Sony.
Still,Destiny 2is one of the most-played games every year across multiple platforms, and with cross-play debuting recently it wouldn’t have made sense to make it a PlayStation-exclusive game. That’s why Bungie’s new Sony deal could make more room for growth inDestiny 2, seeing how the game has aclear path to complete its Light and Dark saga in 2024withLightfallandThe Final Shapeexpansions. The premise for the Destiny Content Vault introduced inBeyond Lightwas that it was meant to letDestiny 2grow with more expansions and sandbox updates while reducing loading times and keeping the game polished.
That’s when theplans forDestiny 3were debunked by Bungie, which means the studio is willing to invest more intoDestiny 2to make it the “best action MMO on any platform,” as per Joe Blackburn on Twitter after the Sony deal announcement. This is not hard to believe, becauseDestiny 2has been growing more over the past few years. Year 4 was one of the best yet thanks to a compelling overarching narrative and exciting gameplay additions. There are many implications to the Sony deal that will remain untold, but it’s safe to assume that Bungie has learned from its experiences and secured a good deal for its future withDestiny 2.
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How Destiny 2 Could Grow With the Sony Partnership
Prior to Year 4, manyDestiny 2fans believed that the highest point of the game was achieved with Year 2 content, starting withForsaken, which Activision’s funds contributed to.Forsakenwas indeed a huge campaign that branched into the Tangled Shore and the Dreaming City as well, introducing a fantastic new Raid, and some of thebest Seasons with Black Armory and Season of Opulence. Year 2 was also exceptional with regard to Raid releases, including The Last Wish withForsaken, then Black Armory’s Scourge of the Past, and finally Season of Opulence’s Crown of Sorrow.
Some players believe Sony’s acquisition of Bungie will lead toDestiny 2going back to those days, possibly coming with more than onenew Raidper year and even topping previous records with the state of the game. While this is not an impossible outcome, at least whenLightfallreleases, players shouldn’t get their hopes too high for the time being. The deal is freshly sealed, andThe Witch Queenhas yet to be released.
If Bungie does get more funds for the development ofDestiny 2- or at least extra help from Sony developers - it’s not unlikely that the acquisition will change things up in the near future, but for the best. For example, this could lead to no delays on the release ofLightfallandThe Final Shape, as well as the freedom to hire more developers and include features and changes in every update that are more meaningful and frequent. In the grand scheme of things, the Bungie-Sony deal seems to be a good thing forDestiny 2’s future, and it also makes the release ofThe Witch Queenbut a stepping stone to whatLightfallandThe Final Shapecan be.
Destiny 2is available on PC, PS4, PS5, Stadia, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
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