Despite how often game developers bank on the certainty of it, no one knows what video games will keep a player base and which won’t. It’s one of the last truly organic things about the gaming community. If players find the game continually fun, they’ll keep playing. And smart studios will feed that community with updates and new additions over time. IO Interactive is a good example. Their Hitman trilogy launched in 2016 and still receives regular updates. Bungie is another, which has continually fostered a player base for its 2017 online multiplayer game Destiny 2. Now, after almost 10 years of updates, Destiny 2‘s days of new stuff are coming to an end.
The news comes direct from Bungie who released a blog post regarding the end of Destiny 2 updates. In it, they share that, after one more update, the developers will turn their attention to a new game. Destiny 2 will of course remain playable.
As our focus turns towards a new beginning for Bungie, we will begin work incubating our next games. To that end, on June 9, 2026, we will release the final live-service content update for Destiny 2 to begin that new journey as a studio.
Though active development may be concluding, we will ensure that Destiny 2 remains playable, just as the original Destiny is today. Many changes in this final update will aim to ensure that Destiny 2 is a welcoming place for players to return to.
Destiny 2 boasts an average player count of between 1-1.5 million monthly. In the game, players assume the role of a Guardian, protectors of Earth’s last safe city as they wield a power called Light to protect humanity from different alien races and combat the looming threat of the Darkness.
Destiny and its sequel have proved to be one of the rare major success stories in the live service gaming. Studios have tried time and again to force every last dollar out of games of similar ilk. They think Fortnite and Overwatch are easy to replicate. However, games like Suicide Squad Kill the Justice League and Concord prove that’s not the case. But it’s a balance, and Bungie of all companies know that innovation is just as important as iteration. Onward and upward. Perhaps it’s their…calling in life.
Kyle Anderson is the Senior Editor for Nerdist. He hosts the weekly pop culture deep-dive podcast Laser Focus. You can find his film and TV reviews here. Follow him on Letterboxd.