One of my favorite video games is the free-to-play online MMO looter shooter Destiny 2, which came out in 2017. I frequently listen to it. I’ve got several characters. I have the most recent seasons. It’s wonderful. But I’d be lying if I claimed I wasn’t worried about the game’s future because it seems to be breaking more frequently with each passing season. In fact, the game is still unavailable as of this writing on January 24 at roughly 4:00 p.m. while Bungie continues to look into the most recent issue. Many players are still anticipating a fresh engine and game, most likely in the shape of Destiny 3. However, nothing is ever that easy.
Today, Bungie investigated why players were losing progress on triumphs and seals, which function like in-game accomplishments and challenges and took Destiny 2 offline across all platforms. Although it’s not the end of the world, a few gamers have reported losing their characters along with all of their progress and goods. Prior to it, players’ progress on a new assignment was not correctly updated. Prior to then, it was another thing. After years of patches, expansions, and other developments, it appears as though Destiny 2 is beginning to sag under its own weight in 2023.
You can find a lot of tweets from Bungie that essentially say, “Welp, this isn’t working.” if you take a look at the company’s official support account on Twitter, which is updated frequently to inform players about impending patches, server problems, and other crucial information regarding Destiny 2. We’re working to make it better. More details soon. Online gaming issues are nothing new, and Destiny 2 is hardly the only game with them. But as shooters become older, this problem is starting to crop up more frequently. When I look at that help account, I see that there are sometimes only a few days or fewer between tweets regarding bugs or broken missions.
Anecdotally, I’ve recently had more bugs while playing Destiny 2 than ever. This new season introduced interesting new heist tasks as well as strange lag that I had never experienced before. I continue to have issues with the game not recording every PvP encounter, which forces us to play longer to complete challenges and weekly missions. Additionally, I’ve just come to terms with the fact that in-game bounties connected to kills, missions, or other actions won’t always update correctly. Actually, the more I consider it, the more I see that I and other gamers I know have simply grown accustomed to Destiny 2’s unreliability. And as the game grows and adds more levels and features, it seems to be getting worse rather than better.
If you search online, you’ll immediately find players arguing that Bungie should move on to Destiny 3, a game that is probably in the works but hasn’t been officially confirmed. The shooter Destiny 3 was trending on Twitter during today’s protracted outage as users debated its stability and future. Some people had high hopes that Destiny 2’s issues would be resolved by its new engine and a clean slate. Others noted that creating and releasing a new game is difficult and that it would probably lack certain features or material when it was released. Furthermore, there is no assurance that it would resolve all of the current issues.
Personally, I believe that creating a new Destiny would eventually be a wise decision. The developers might be able to create something that is more adaptable and capable of handling the kinds of situations they have spent years developing and polishing. But I’m also not so gullible as to think it will solve every problem or be simple to make. However, I understand the players’ dissatisfaction since Destiny 2 continues to be uneven.
Destiny 2 is mostly functional but coated in duct tape, dents, and dirt, much like an old computer or blender. And occasionally you need to kick it or fiddle with the cord to get it going. Yes, it still rumbles to life for the time being, but eventually you’ll need to replace it. And with Destiny 2, I have a hunch Bungie will keep applying the brakes for as long as it takes for the game to complete its intended roadmap, which is expected to result in the release of the game’s final season in 2024. Well, after that, I’m not sure. By then, perhaps, the game will at least feel more reliable and stable, rather than worse.
