The core game will be renamed to Destiny 2: New Light
Once Shadowkeep launches on September 17th, the base game will go free-to-play and include "all year one content, including "foundational modes, activities and rewards.""
"This represents a change for the Destiny franchise as it seeks to lure gamers away from popular free titles like Fortnite. Previously, players paid upfront for the game and bought big expansions to gain access to new raids, missions and in-game items, either separately or as an annual pass subscription. Now, the core game will stay free, while additional content will be made available in the form of paid "à la carte" offerings like Shadowkeep."
Going forward, no more content will be made exclusive to one platform over others. All platforms will have the same access to all content at the same time
Cross-save will be added for Xbox One, PC, and Google Stadia. No PS4 support for now
Soon, the game will move from Battle.net to Steam on PC. Existing players willbe able to migrate all characters and purchases over to the Steam version once this happens
It all kind of makes sense but shifting from B.net to Steam sounds like a huge undertaking.
That's odd. Just the other day I noticed that the section of Activision games that used to be called "Activision" changed to "Partner Games". I wonder if it'll change back if/when Destiny 2 comes off the service.
I'm still not sure going F2P is enough for me. I got the game on PS4, then again on PC through Humble or something and I never even installed it.
Going free to play stings a bit seeing how I paid $90 for the game when it first came out. I'm still really interested in getting the moon expansion though.
Moving the launcher is a big thing, but maybe they see Steam numbers versus non-Blizzard games on Battle.net as enough of a pull to do that. Maybe the Bungie/Activision relationship is a little more sour than either party are letting on?
I haven't loaded up Destiny 2 since Forsaken came out and, for as good as that DLC was and as blissful as the shooting is, I very quickly fell back to earth with a bump with just how repetitive the loops of that game are. I worry that with a F2P model the grind might get even worse for the non-regular player.
It came close to costing £100 for Destiny and the same again on Destiny 2 once all the DLC was out, which at the risk of me sounding cheap, is about the most I have ever spent on a couple of games (thanks to usually waiting for Humble and Steam sales). I feel that releasing a "Destiny Infinite" as a new home for an ongoing F2P model which allows those who brought the games to have the armours/guns exclusive to their previous purchases would maybe quell some of the potential backlash from misers like me. We had to wait for the very end of year one for it to feel like a 'full' game and now that's deemed F2P sized content.
I really don't know what it was about the very original iteration of Destiny that had me completely hooked, but I fell off of Destiny after Taken King dropped and got out of Destiny 2 after just a couple of months. I loved playing Destiny 2, I just burned out on it. I already have daily grinds in MLB The Show and Apex Legends, I'm not sure I could go back to Destiny. This is also the first time I've owned a game and then its pricing structure totally changes; I guess I don't see how this incentivizes someone like me to come back to the game either, since I'm not getting anything out of it the way new players would be. I'd still need to put in more money to get the game up to speed.
Yay, now I can stop burning money when I buy something Destiny related on PS4, realize no one I know is playing then switch to PC, and then back for no real reason....
So from what i am gathering they are basically just making Destiny 2 year one free, but you still have to buy the new expansion that releases with this F2P update? The big problem i have had with Destiny from the start is that if you don't have the latest expansion whats the point of even playing? Bungie have made strides on improving this, but modes, gear, light level, raids and i believe subclasses are locked behind the expansions. Are they planning on changing all that?
I hoped they would ditch the 2 and consequently go for Destiny as a platform the way PoE or Warframe operate.
So they are not forced to support an active game while at the same time developing the successor, which is one of the reasons Destiny's story so far is a constant back and forth between disappointment and redemption.
So, just to put some clarity on what has been discussed after the Bungie Streams... (For the most up do date info and to talk about the changes, feel free to drop by the Destiny Discord)
So, Bungie is releasing a new version of Destiny 2 called First Light on September 17th, 2019. It's completely free on PSN, XBLA, Steam, and Google Stadia. It includes a modified start to Base Destiny 2 that drops you into the Tower after an intro mission (the mission that starts D1 actually). It DOES NOT include other D1 content. Then, you are allowed to start or pick up and play any of the Y1 Campaign's, from D2, to Osiris, to Warmind. All other Y1 content is available for free with First Light, including Leviathan, Eater of World's, and Spire of Stars Raids. You will also be able to unlock all current and forthcoming Destination Zones, including Tangled Shore, Dreaming City, and the new with Shadwokeep Moon. But, all content associated with those locations will be locked, such as Campaign/Strikes/PvP Maps/Raids/Dungeons, etc. Game Modes released seem to also be included with First Light, as Bungie mentions your ability to jump in Gambit with friends.
For clarity, First Light is the base version of the new Destiny Platform going forward it appears. So basically all current owner's copies of Destiny 2 will convert into the free First Light version at launch, adding in and updating content to how it exists within First Light.
Forsaken Content
As of today, Forsaken and the current Annual Pass is being bundled together for $40. This will be the price point of the Forsaken Expasion content and Season Pass going forward. It will also likely be the same future price point for yearly content bundles, though that wasn't stated outright.
Shadowkeep Content
Shadowkeep Expansion content is stand alone, meaning you only have to have the free First Light, and then purchase the Shadowkeep Expansion for $35. You do not need to own Forsaken Expansion at all. There are an awful lot of changes coming with Shadowkeep that look particularly interesting such as the new Armor 2.0. Though we honestly didn't learn all that much today about Shadowkeep itself. Look towards the future for more info on this Fall's DLC.
Season's Going Forward
Seasonal Content, going forward, will be stand alone, and only require ownership of said Season and the First Light free game. No prices were discussed, but likely they will sell each Seasonal Pack for about $10, and it looks to be released throughout D2Y3 every quarter, or 3 months, with the Fall launches being the larger, more expensive add on's like Shadowkeep is. Like Shadowkeep and Forsaken, each Season Content will be locked from First Light owners unless they purchase that specific Season.
There will no longer be Playstation (or any) Platform Exclusive content of any kind as of 9/17/19 when the PS deal ends and all PS content will release on all Platforms. Additionally, Cross Save will be coming to all platforms, including Playstation (according to Jason Schreier this development was actually only approved yesterday). Cross Save might be available sooner on PC/Xbox One, but that is still up in the air. Ownership of Content, as you can see below, and Silver Purchases, will still only be accessible to those Platforms you own certain aspects of Destiny 2 on. Meaning if you don't own Forsaken on Xbox One, you can't play Forsaken Content, and if you only own Shadowkeep on Google Stadia, then you can only play that content on that Platform. But your characters, equipment, etc will move to all Platforms at all times seemingly. https://www.bungie.net/7/en/CrossSave
PC Client Moving To Steam
All current owners of Destiny 2 on PC will be allowed to download the Steam version for free (and as much content as they currently own). Going forward, all sales, and play of Destiny 2 will happen from the Steam Client, as they are breaking away from the Blizzard Client. This will mean all PC players will need to redownload the Steam Version of Destiny. Similar to the Cross Save news, since your profile is now on the Bungie Servers, your progress will move over to Steam from Blizzard.
I hope this information helps clear up some of the confusion around today's announcements. I will continue to update this info as I can, and if any of the information is incorrect or new information adjusts it as we go throughout today, as later today we will also be having Bungie's weekly update TWAB.
Y'know, I was going to complain about having spent about $90 on the game one the base game and two "expansions" because that content going free-to-play makes the money spent feel like a waste. But then I just added another $40 to this Destiny 2 money pit for Forsaken and the annual pass, so I guess it's lucky for me that I'm in a financial position where I can hate money at a given moment and it not be a big deal.
Now I wonder how well this game will run on my 15" Surface Book 2 while having champagne and caviar...
Eh, it's no different from Blizzard eventually rolling all the WoW expansions except for the most current into the "base" game. You pay a premium to experience the content early, prices fall over time. Not really anything new.
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