Destiny 2 is an upcoming online-only multiplayer first-person shooter video game in development by Bungie and in assistance, Vicarious Visions and High Moon Studios. It will be published by Activision. It is set to be released on September 8, 2017 for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.[1] It will be the sequel to 2014's Destiny and its subsequent expansions.
Plot
One year after the events of Destiny: Rise of Iron, the Red Legion faction of the Cabal, a military-industrial empire of massive amphibians, have attacked The Last City with overwhelming forces, led by their commander, Ghaul. The Guardians have been stripped of their powers and forced to flee the Tower. The Guardians must acquire new powers to face Ghaul and the Red Legion, and venture to new worlds in the Destiny universe.
Development
A sequel to Destiny was first mentioned in November 2014 by Activision chief executive officer Eric Hirshberg, where he said "Work has also begun on future expansion packs as well as on our next full game release".[2] Based on documents of the original release schedule for Destiny, Bungie and Activision intended to release new, disc-based sequels every other year until 2019, with large downloadable expansions in between.[3] Originally planned for a September 2016 release (based on the original documents),[3] Bungie confirmed on February 11, 2016 that a full sequel would release in 2017.[4][5]That same month, video game writer Christopher Schlerf, who was the lead writer for Halo 4 and worked on Mass Effect: Andromeda, joined Bungie.[6] In December 2016, Bungie announced thatVicarious Visions would be joining the development team along with Activision.[7] Unlike the original, it was rumored thatDestiny 2 would also release on Microsoft Windows,[8] which was confirmed on March 30, 2017.[9]
In Activision's earnings report for 2016, Hirshberg said that Destiny's sequel was still "on track for release this fall [2017]." Activision said the sequel will "broaden the franchise's global reach." Hirshberg elaborated that players who have spent hours in the original will "love" the sequel, and for those who have not played Destiny, or have not played in a while,
...we think we've made a sequel that's going to have a lot for them to love, too. The cornerstone of that is a great cinematic story that's been a real focus with a great cast of memorable, relatable characters, coupled with some very nice ways to make the game more accessible to a casual player. Without losing anything that our core players love, we've made it more accessible to someone who just wants to have a great, more casual first-person action experience.[8]
Bungie had said that players' characters and progression would carry over into future releases.[10] However, this turned out to only be half true. Characters and progression did carry over into Destiny's expansions, but for the sequel, only players' characters physical appearance will carry over if they have reached level 20 and completed the Black Garden quest in the original. In regards to why progression and items will not carry over, Bungie said "We believe this is the best path forward. It allows us to introduce the major advancements and improvements that all of us expect from a sequel, ensuring it will be the best game we can create, unencumbered by the past." Bungie does plan to award veteran players with something special inDestiny 2 to acknowledge their accomplishments in the original Destiny. Players' characters, progression, and items will still be accessible in the original Destiny, which will remain online after the release of Destiny 2.[11]
On March 23, 2017, a promotional poster for the sequel was leaked by Lega Network, revealing the game's name as Destiny 2 and a release date of September 8, 2017, with the mention of a public beta for the game. The poster showed that just like the original, Destiny 2 will have PlayStation exclusive content.[12] On March 27, 2017, although not directly responding to the leaked information, Bungie tweeted an image of Destiny 2. The image showed The Last City in smoke and flames with "Destiny" and a large "2" over the Traveler.[13] This was followed up with a teaser trailer narrated by character Cayde-6. The teaser showed the Tower under attack by the Cabal, one of the enemy races from the original game. PlayStation's YouTubechannel showed a slightly extended teaser, officially confirming that there will be timed exclusive content for PlayStation 4, and it will last until at least fall 2018.[14] A full reveal trailer released on March 30, showing the three class Vanguards, Commander Zavala (Titan), Cayde-6 (Hunter), and Ikora Rey (Warlock), rallying Guardians in the war-torn Tower. The Cabal are being lead by Ghaul, the commander of the Red Legion. The trailers confirmed that Lance Reddick, Nathan Fillion, and Gina Torres will be reprising their roles as the class Vanguards, respectively.[9] Nolan North also confirmed that he would be reprising Ghost, the Guardian's AI companion.[15] Bungie will have a live stream of Destiny 2's gameplay on May 18.[16]
Release
Destiny 2 is scheduled to be released worldwide on September 8, 2017 for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and for the first time in the series, for personal computers running Microsoft Windows. There will be several editions of the game, including a Collector's Edition, a Limited Edition, a Digital Deluxe Edition, and the standard base game. Like the original, there will be anExpansion Pass, which will grant access to the first two expansions of Destiny 2. Also like the original Destiny, pre-orders for the game will receive early access to the game's beta.[9] Pre-orders from GameStop will also receive a Cayde-6 collectible figure.[17] Other figures and toys, such as Lord Saladin, will be available for purchase after the release of Destiny 2 in September.[18]
The Collector's Edition of Destiny 2 will include the base game in a SteelBook case, the Expansion Pass, a Destiny 2Frontier Bag (a messenger bag/backpack combo), a Frontier Kit (featuring a solar panel USB charger with built-in light, a paracord, and a solar blanket), a 15" Laptop/Tablet Sleeve with protective pocket slip, a Cabal-themed Collector's Box (including a booklet about the Cabal Empire, a Cabal Schematic, collectible postcards, and Cabal Military Pawns), and premium digital content (a Legendary sword, a Legendary player emote, and a Cabal Empire-themed emblem). The Limited Edition includes all of the same physical and digital items of the Collector's Edition minus the Frontier Bag, the Frontier Kit, and the Laptop/Tablet Sleeve. The Digital Deluxe Edition includes all of the digital content.[19]