A former Bungie lawyer has weighed in on the upcoming improvements to Destiny 2, praising the role of parent company Sony in driving these changes forward.
Last week, Bungie revealed “major changes” for Destiny 2, hoping to win back its player base. The game has been underperforming financially, with the previous year’s The Final Shape expansion selling fewer copies at launch than the poorly received Lightfall. Bungie’s new strategy involves the annual release of two medium-sized expansions and four major free content updates, marking a shift from its previous model.
According to Bungie, these updates are meant to “enhance the player experience through a new multi-year saga,” focusing on non-linear storytelling, innovation in gameplay, and improvements to core activities and rewards. One of Destiny 2‘s main issues is its steep learning curve for new players. Game director Tyson Green admitted that Destiny 2 is “too complex,” likening it to needing a “PhD” to understand the game. Green outlined plans to simplify the user interface, making the game accessible to all players.
In a LinkedIn post, Don McGowan, former general counsel at Bungie, shared his thoughts on the changes. He praised Sony for finally getting the studio to “run the game like a business,” stating that Sony’s influence drives the necessary improvements. “It appears that Sony’s inflicting some discipline on my former colleagues may have forced them to fix the things that were wrong with their game,” McGowan said. He clarified that his comments weren’t about the layoffs but about Bungie’s newfound focus on player acquisition and running Destiny 2 more efficiently.
McGowan expressed satisfaction that the studio is evolving beyond its “independent company” mindset, which he believed needed to change following Sony’s $3.6 billion acquisition. He remarked that some at Bungie were under the false impression that Sony would have no input, but the recent developments suggest otherwise.
These changes come at a time of uncertainty within the Destiny community, as Bungie announced plans to cut 220 staff in July, with 155 more set to transition to Sony. Despite this, the developer remains focused on the future of Destiny 2, with no plans for Destiny 3.