Destiny 2 has been a flagship of Bungie for years, with no plans to end the franchise in sight. While the current saga in Destiny 2, the Light and the Darkness saga, is set to conclude with The Final Shape story expansion, plans exist to extend the franchise for over a decade. Despite this, other games have been rumored to be in the pipeline. Along with Sony's acquisition of Bungie, which closed on July 15, 2022, many fans wonder what the future entails.
Sony announced in January 2022 its plans to acquire Bungie for $3.6 billion; however, the contract between the two powerhouses ensures that Bungie will remain an independent subsidiary while still joining the Sony family. In part, Sony's investment into Bungie was to help hire further developers for Destiny 2 and other planned games. Bungie assures fans that Destiny 2 will remain a multi-platform title by remaining an independent subsidiary.
Future Plans for Destiny as a Franchise
The Final Shape may conclude the current saga of Destiny 2, but Bungie has informed fans that the franchise will continue with a new tale that will have better ways to welcome old and new players. This announcement came from Executive Creative Director of the Destiny Universe, Luke Smith, who detailed how the current state of the franchise, with its connected Seasonal stories, can make it difficult for new players. This makes sense, as Destiny 2 created its New Light experience to try and acclimate newer members into the complex history and lore of the universe.
Further information came from specific job postings for Narrative Director and other writing roles, such as a Destiny Historian Intern to oversee what was described as the Destiny universe across multiple platforms. Descriptions for the Narrative Director position highlighted how the work would manage internal teams and external partners to lead the future vision of Destiny. While no concrete evidence has been revealed about what future Destiny holds regarding specific platforms, fans and outlets have surmised that a mobile game and animated show may be in the works.
The idea that a mobile game is in the pipeline comes from the fact that Bungie partnered with the Chinese tech company NetEase in 2018. Furthermore, Bungie filed new touchscreen patents, which would most likely be accommodating for mobile games and platforms. While the animated show is only possible at this point, Bungie went on the record to say that it was interested in multiple mediums outside gaming, primarily TV and Films. With Destiny 2's Light and Darkness saga ending, a foray into TV and Film could be exciting.
While the content for TV and Films has been mostly under wraps, it makes the most sense that the Destiny IP would be the first to see adaptations in different mediums. While that remains purely speculative, the fact that Destiny 2 and its universe at large has an established fan base, fleshed-out mythology and content, and exciting action in the sci-fi genre would make it the most likely candidate.
Possible New IPs from Bungie
According to more news from the Destiny Bulletin on Twitter, further job postings hint that Bungie may be working on new Intellectual Properties. In 2018, Bungie filed a trademark in the EU with the name Matter, which is believed to be the next planned IP for the company. Bungie has gone on record stating that it hopes to create IPs that may hit the market in 2025, further cementing new content. Whether this is intended to be an RPG, looter shooter like Destiny 2, or something else remains to be seen.
Future IPs also seem likely, as Bungie reported expanding their HQ in 2021 to continue working on the Destiny universe and for future games to release in 2025. With the 2025 date mentioned several times by different Bungie executives, fans will likely see these plans come to fruition unless further delays occur due to the pandemic, which pushed back the release of The Witch Queen story expansion.
Many fans have worried that future IPs will become Sony exclusives. While Sony and Bungie have been careful with their wording, it's been implied that any games currently in development will remain multi-platform. However, future IPs created after the Sony acquisition may indeed become exclusives to the Sony brand. However, if proven successful, forthcoming titles may receive a cross-platform port like Horizon and God of War.
Bungie and Competitive Gaming
Even more job postings of late reveal plans for a possible competitive gaming front for Bungie, most likely in the Destiny universe. While this news is different from the information about probable new IPs like Matter, this listing seeks a Senior Concept Artist who would work on guns, armor, vehicles, characters, environments, and other seasonal art needs. While mentioning seasons brings Destiny 2 to mind, the posting clarified that this would be for that universe.
However, the description also details that the candidate must love competitive gaming, which opens up a whole world of possibilities if Bungie decides to dip its toes into the competitive gaming market. As a result, Sony has claimed its interest in the market, especially with live-service games, which it hopes to see by 2026. It will be interesting to see Destiny 2 or some form of the universe enter the competitive market.
While so much information has resulted from job postings, it's clear to fans that Bungie has an RPG, along with many balls in the air. Nevertheless, whatever comes down the pipeline has big shoes to fill, with Destiny 2 being the live-service powerhouse it is. Further, Sony's acquisition of Bungie opens the door for future projects, as the company is known for games with rich storytelling and impressive graphics.
Destiny 2 is available on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
