Destiny 2 players may finally get back the content Bungie took away

Bungie has outlined what it calls the “next chapter” for the studio, acknowledging that it has lost player trust over the past few years while setting out major changes for both Destiny 2 and Marathon. The update comes from studio head Poria Torkan and Marathon general manager Josh Deane, who now jointly lead Bungie. The pair admit that Bungie “lost sight” of its players in recent years, resulting in lost trust and colleagues leaving the studio. Lastly, the new leadership says Bungie will have to rebuild that trust through its games and future decisions.

Long-time Destiny fans will be pleased to know that Bungie is “not done with Destiny”, despite an earlier announcement stating otherwise. The studio will begin restoring vaulted campaigns, destinations and raids to Destiny 2. This will not involve copying the old content back into the current game. Bungie says the numerous technical changes made to Destiny 2 since Beyond Light mean old destinations and activities need updates to lighting, encounters, enemies and underlying systems before they can return. Consequently, Bungie has not yet set a firm release date, though it plans to share more information in the coming months.

The restoration effort is described as only the first step. Bungie wants to use it as a foundation for new Destiny stories and games, suggesting that the franchise's future extends beyond simply keeping Destiny 2 alive. Destiny 3 confirmed? It's far too early to speculate. 

Marathon, meanwhile, is heading for a sizeable course correction. Bungie says the game received strong reviews and found an audience after launch, but conceded that it “did not reach as many players as we had hoped”. More importantly, the studio now intends to push Marathon beyond the genre restrictions originally imposed on it.

Bungie says Marathon will evolve into a “deeper survival experience” with more ways to interact with its alien world. During the remainder of its first year, development will focus on combat, the world and competitive tension while expanding the ways players can approach the game. Cooperative PvE, PvP and PvPvE will all remain part of the equation.

The October Nightfall Refresh and December Symbiosis update remain on the roadmap, with Bungie promising another update detailing its longer-term vision for Marathon. The studio also stresses that Marathon was never intended to replace Destiny.

Internally, Bungie says it has simplified its priorities, reduced competing initiatives and moved more decision-making power closer to the individual development teams. The company also plans to place greater weight on player satisfaction when measuring success, while communicating more frequently when development plans change.