Bungie announced that Destiny 2’s Season of the Wish will be the last time the game will utilize its seasonal content system, opting instead to switch to a new episodic story format between major expansions. This decision comes in response to feedback from players who found the seasonal approach of weekly short story missions to have become repetitive and predictable after four years. The lead narrative designer, Jonathan To, acknowledged that while the story quality remained high, the structure had become too predictable, and as a result, Bungie is working on changing the structure in order to surprise players more frequently in the future.
The new episodic format will see the release of three episodes each year, with each episode divided into three acts. This format will provide larger chunks of story, new weapons and armor, and other content that seasons have included. Bungie is aiming to find ways to keep the content fresh and engaging for players.
The article also delves into some of the challenges Bungie has faced with live-game development, particularly in creating frameworks that speed up the development process but risk making the content predictable. The senior narrative designer, Nikko Stevens, explained that the repeated structure provided a baseline for the studio to create content more efficiently over time, but it also made the content feel predictable.
Opinion: it’s clear that Bungie’s decision to change the structure of Destiny 2’s story content is a welcome move for players who have found the seasonal approach to be repetitive. By switching to a new episodic format, Bungie is showing a commitment to evolving the game’s storytelling to keep it engaging and surprising for its dedicated player base. This decision to shake things up shows that Bungie is willing to listen to player feedback and adapt to meet the changing expectations of its audience. This move could potentially breathe new life into Destiny 2 and keep players engaged for years to come.