Bungie has spent the past ten years exploring the depths of our solar system, but it seems like it’s finally gearing up to move on to something, or rather somewhere, else. At least that’s what it sounds like is going to happen in Destiny’s 11th year, which is tentatively titled Frontiers.
In a recent interview with Edge magazine, which was republished via GamesRadar+, some Bungie developers discussed the future of the game, which is currently in ts tenth year and halfway through its first “episode”—a noted break from the game’s seasonal model, though players are currently struggling to recognize what’s fundamentally different. While discussing what players should expect from the next year, Bungie also tipped its hand a little bit, gesturing at what’s to come next for Destiny 2, , including not only new characters and stories, but also seemingly new worlds.
At least, that’s what it seems like Robbie Stevens, an assistant game director on Destiny 2, is suggesting. When discussing what’s next for the epic sci-fi/fantasy opera, Stevens divulged:
“A lot of that thinking about year 11, and how we start really getting into the next journey here after these Episodes, we’re going to be leaning on that thinking as well. Because we’ve been doing this linear thing for a while now, and we want to get back to expanding our worlds and world-building, expanding the universe of Destiny in general.”
The emphasis on worlds and world-building are the key to why Stevens’ statement excites me. In Destiny’s lore, humanity experienced a golden age of discovery and exploration prior to its war against the Darkness that culminated with the fight against the Witness in The Final Shape.
The conflict decimated humanity and forced it on its backfoot, meaning that much of the series has been spent clawing back space in the solar system from the forces of the Darkness. For the first time in a long time, the Guardians are kind of free to push back out and visit new and entirely alien worlds.
It’s an exciting prospect that delivers on part of the fantasy that players have had since the very first Destiny. Though they have always understood the necessity for keeping the story in our own solar system, you can’t reasonably give folks a sci-fi game with ships and aliens and ask them to never expect to go anywhere else. Taken altogether, Stevens’ tease, the Frontiers naming, and recent cutscene detailing a character’s dream of exploring the expanse of space with their partner certainly point to us getting the fuck out of Sol, and seeing more of the galaxy!!
Considering how much more we’ve learned about the alien species of Destiny since its beginnings, this feels like a foregone conclusion, but it’s exciting to think it’s nearly here. Over the years, we’ve learned a lot about the Hive and their homeworld of Fundament, and though it sounds inhospitable as hell, imagine getting to see it sometime in the future? Caiatl, a Cabal commander who became one of humanity’s greatest allies, often talks about the former capital of the Cabal Empire, Torobatl, which was decimated by the Hive god of war, Xivu Arath. Despite taking out both of her siblings (Savathun and Oryx), Xivu Arath is still at large and the campaign against her could begin or end by reclaiming Torobatl!
The Eliksni, who came to be known as the Fallen, are still in need of a new home world after the collapse of Riis, and the failure of Riis-Reborn on Europa. The Final Shape even teases players with glimpses at the Witness’ original civilization, and according to this recent interview, their faction (the Dread) are apparently here to stay. And where exactly do the Vex come from, and what is their whole deal? There are such big questions that need answering in Destiny still, and it increasingly feels like our solar system is running out of solutions to provide. It’s time to get out there.
Destiny 2 is an infamously complex and convoluted game, so I’m really looking forward to this soft reset that’s following The Final Shape. I’m even more excited for the explicit direction that it takes and how well it realizes that dream of Destiny that I had ten years ago.