Destiny 2 set new standards in 2019 when it went from a pay-to-play shooter to a free-to-play live service game. Since then, many games have also tried this model, such as The Division 2, Marvel Avengers or Anthem. However, they all failed. We tell you why this is not the case at Bungie, although the community often complains about it.
Live service games are in demand: The notion of “live service” or “games-as-a-service” promises gamers a constant flow of content for years to come for games that would normally have ended at the end of their campaign. The model not only allows you to play a game much longer. The developers can also monetize it longer.
In 2019, Bungie took the plunge and shifted the focus for Destiny 2 to this new live service model. In addition, their top shooter “New Light” was also given free-to-play. Guardians who were interested in additional content could simply purchase it at any time from then on.
However, the model aroused the interest not only of gamers. The competition also followed suit, jumped on the “Games-as-a-Service” train and put their resources into the long-term gaming experience. But what Bungie managed so easily was an incredibly big task for many other games, which caused some developers to fail dramatically.
Of course, Destiny 2 isn’t the only successful live service game out there. The biggest example is probably the MMORPG World of Warcraft. Nevertheless, only very few developers seem to be able to survive this gauntlet run for a functioning live service game and, above all, to provide what is necessary for it.
If you look at Destiny 2 in 2023, things are not always rosy there either with the ongoing, seasonal content.
In Season 17, the guardians complained massively about the content recycling of Calus’ former flagship, the Leviathan. Bungie tied to the ongoing story, but brought back the old raid as a “new” location.
The Leviathan, the Cabal Emperor’s giant ship, returned to Destiny 2 in Season 17 changed but with an emotional message:
Destiny 2 shows the new season in the crazy trailer – “You become the destroyer of fear”
This pattern continued into Season 19, recycling content from Season 10. Along with Mars, swallowed up by darkness, the seraph bunkers also emerged from obscurity. Bungie used practical time dilation to explain this.
So what is it that makes Bungie the exception in the live service and ensures that the loot shooter has been selling the model so successfully so far?
A unique blend with a solid base
Bungie not only benefits from market dominance: Destiny 2 is an MMO shooter that lives above all from its good mix of competitive and cooperative elements. Players always have a suitable game mode for every mood.
Both Anthem and Marvel’s Avengers only offered pure PvE content to their players. And not only that. Her story was also never retold as a continuous story update. Something Bungie has also done with its Destiny 2 live service from the start.
Tom Farnsworth, Bungie’s Senior Design Lead, once told MeinMMO that you don’t just have to offer good service.
[…] the real power of live service games is that you keep building towards something better.
explains Tom Farnsworth, Bungie’s Senior Design Lead to Mein-MMO.de
Thus, in Destiny 2, above all the playful challenges, there is also a captivating, ongoing story that you can actively experience as a Guardian. It is precisely this “Bungie formula”, which has been optimized over several seasons, that makes it possible to set yourself apart from other games quite well.
Can Bungie Maintain Its Service Standard? That remains to be seen. Many other live service games that have failed felt unfinished right from the start. There were frequent technical issues, many of which were resolved too late or never. And the live service didn’t always consist of new content, but rather content drought because content could not be completed on time. In the end, that scares off even the last nerve-racking players.
Destiny 2: Everyone thinks Season 17 is pure content recycling – but that’s not true!
At least Bungie can still come up with a wealth of advantages.
However, the strong facade begins to crack as serious bugs plague the game, cheaters descend on PvP, and over-recycling is viewed as increasingly critical by veteran players.
After Destiny 2, the next games should probably be provided with new content in the same way as the studio’s current loot shooter. Bungie will therefore not be able to postpone the most pressing problems currently plaguing Destiny 2 for too long.
Otherwise, this could perhaps affect the trust of many players in the long term and thus also affect the actually always excellent reputation. Even the best live service is useless if a bitter community uninstalls the game.
Which live service game do you remember that no longer exists and what did you miss there? Do you think Bungie will take the same path? Or will the developer have his goal firmly in sight and ensure that his community becomes happier again? Please let us know what you think about it in the comments.
At least the first steps have already been taken. There are many changes coming for Lightfall, which should definitely mark a new beginning and set Destiny 2 on course for the future:
Destiny 2: Lightfall will radically change the build system – meant to be a fresh start