Game developer Bungie has had something of a rocky ride with the first installment of the new Destiny franchise was released in 2014 to a mixed reception. The online-only first person shooter is set in a mythic science fiction world, and it broke records on the day of release to become the biggest new franchise launch of all time. After selling over $500 million at launch, Destiny went on to win the BAFTA Award for Best Game of 2014. Despite this, the game was criticized for its weak story and lack of end-game content. It maintains a generally favorable score of 76 on Metascore, but is still a cult success with millions of fans worldwide. Those fans have been treated to DLC expansions, in-game events, content updates, and secret quests. It's been two years since the game's release, however, and those same fans are getting anxious for news of a sequel.
Despite a lack of updates, however, Destiny 2 is still on track for 2017. A new report suggests that Bungie's incentives to get the sequel out this year could include the threat of stock losses to Activision, their collaborators in the joint venture.
Kotaku reports that some of the developers behind Destiny 2 might prefer more time to shore up any issues with the game's content, thus avoiding the issues from the first time around, however, "Bungie employees', stock vesting schedule is...based on game releases, including Destiny 2". This urgency is tempered with a hesitance in rushing the sequel, as the developers attempt to rectify mistakes from the first game:
Fans had been worried—mostly thanks to the lack of news—that Destiny 2 might be delayed out of this year, but consider this: with the first Destiny, Bungie started talking too early and wound up showing a number of features and plot points that never actually made it into the final game. This time, they want to avoid those mistakes, which means we likely won’t hear about the game until closer to launch. The roadmap will likely include a Destiny 1 spring update, then a Destiny 2 reveal with a launch this fall.
This convoluted issue is likely to mean that Destiny 2 will not be delayed until next year, with at least three Activision studios supporting their independent partners with work on the game. Fans might be torn over the issue, concerned that the finished product of Destiny 2 will be rushed in order to protect Bungie's stock ownership of the franchise.
However, it's an unlikely scenario as Destiny 2 has already been in development for a long time. It was rumored to release in September 2016 but was pushed back in favor of Destiny DLC "Rise of Iron". With no further rumors of delay and the knowledge of this incentive, fans can rest easy knowing that Destiny 2 will likely release in fall 2017. The game is one of the most hotly anticipated of the year, and is guaranteed to sell, even if Bungie fails to iron out all of the previous game's creases.
We'll keep you updated on news of Destiny 2 as it occurs.
Source: Kotaku