Bungie has finally confirmed the long-rumored delay to Destiny 2: The Final Shape, the expansion that will conclude the long-running Light and Darkness saga. The studio said today that the expansion "needs more time to become exactly what we want it to be," and so it is now set to arrive on June 4, 2024.
"The Final Shape is the culmination of the first ten years of Destiny storytelling and, for Guardians everywhere, countless hours spent together," the Destiny 2 dev team said. "We want to honor that journey, so we’re taking the time we need to deliver an even bigger and bolder vision, one that we hope will be remembered and treasured for years to come."
Season of the Wish will start as scheduled on November 28 (that's tomorrow) and will be extended to run until the launch of The Final Shape. Bungie said the majority of content planned for the season will run until February as originally planned, but new content is being added to keep players involved until June.
That will include weekly progression-based quests called Wishes and the launch of new Moments of Triumph, which will grant players unique rewards. The Guardian Games will be moved up to March "with a refreshed focus on class vs. class competition," and a two-month update called Into the Light will kick off in April.
Reports of a Final Shape delay first emerged in October following layoffs at Bungie, which saw a large number of employees let go from the studio. The cuts reportedly came amidst sharp decline in Destiny 2 player numbers and missed revenue targets following the release of the Lightfall expansion, but they landed particularly poorly with fans because they saw a number of well-known veterans put out of work, and came less than two years after Sony committed to not laying off employees after its acquisition of the studio.
"We know you’re eager to get your hands on The Final Shape. In that sense, delays aren’t fun," Bungie said. "For our part, we are excited to have the extra time needed to bring our vision for The Final Shape to life for all of you. We’re looking forward to sharing much more in April, including all-new gameplay, to showcase the significant content additions currently in development."
With tracked player counts currently the lowest they've been for years, The Final Shape is clearly one Bungie can't afford to get wrong. How the audience reacts to such an elongated wait before the next major expansion, particularly against a backdrop of constant complaints about burnout with the current seasonal model and excessive monetization, also remains to be seen.
