The success of the Forsaken expansion and a promising stream of Annual Pass content planned through next summer have put our minds at ease in regards to this second year of Destiny 2. However, the question begins to rise for what we might see in fall of 2019. Thanks to a very particular response to a reddit thread I posted this week, we now know that we’ll be getting another “major expansion” along with another annual pass. This means Destiny 3 will be pushed to fall of 2020.
Reputable Sources
It all started a few days ago. Being so enamored with the game, especially right now, watching its development has been just as fascinating as what goes on behind the scenes. While a post like this might seem premature, it was really just posted for fun without any expectations. It read:
“Tower thought: Bungie should have a solid base running version of Destiny 3 by now.
…given their track record for development and assuming it comes out Fall of 2020 (in 23 months).
I believe this was about how long they had after Luke Smith took over D2 after the release of TTK.
This also assumes that we will get another major expansion in fall of 2019.
I’m loving Forsaken right now in the moment, but it’s always fun to imagine what’s going on behind their closed doors.”
What was a simple musing was expected to be mostly ignored. That is, until we got a very interesting post from a user called AnonTheNine. If you are unfamiliar, AnonTheNine is very reputable source for Destiny leaks. He is the one that leaked all of the Forsaken information before it was announced, revealed that Thunderlord would be coming at the end of the Festival of the Lost, and that The Last Word, the famous hand cannon from destiny 1, will be returning in Black Armory.
With that context, this response carries some weight:
“Nope. The Development its starting right now. Chris Barrett Game Director, Luke Smith still there in a big role.”
After this, I spoke with him directly via private message, and he added that D3 is slated for 2020.
What Does It Mean?
Firstly, this implies that we will be getting a third year of Destiny 2. This makes sense considering the story unraveling as we play through Forsaken. The Hive god Savathun will likely be the big bad in the expansion. There are also supporting leaks suggesting that the third year will feature yet another annual pass. This is another move that seems plausible, especially if this year’s annual pass is well-received.
The next detail is about Destiny 3 and its alleged game director Christopher Barrett. Until now, Chris has been a fan favorite developer. He’s responsible for coordinating many of the fixes to Destiny 2 after the barrage of community outcry last winter.
Before that, Barrett was the art director for the launch of Destiny 1, in addition to being the game director on the House of Wolves and Rise of Iron expansions. Currently he’s the director of Destiny 2’s live team, who are responsible for the annual pass content. Directing an entire release is quite the undertaking, but with Christopher Barrett’s natural sense for what players want, we Destiny fans couldn’t be in better hands.
As far as the content of Destiny 3, the game will likely explore the story of the triangle ships we’re seeing more of in The Dreaming City as of late.
In Good Hands
The next question was in regards to Luke Smith, who has been fairly quiet this year. In a previous Bungie Podcast episode, Smith admitted to the launch game not catering well to hardcore or hobbyist players. Before Destiny 2, Luke Smith started as the the lead raid designer for Destiny 1 before transitioning to the game director before release. He took over for Joseph Staten who departed Bungie over creative differences.
He then took the helm on The Taken King, Destiny 1’s first major expansion. Luke Smith is a brilliant game designer with a specialty in Raids. He has been reported to have played a large part in all of Destiny 1 & 2’s raids. Since he allegedly has a “bigger role” in Destiny 3, we can only hope that involves the endgame and raiding in some fashion. Perhaps he can evolve or revolutionize the concept in some major way.
None of this information is confirmed, but most of it falls in line with what we’ve seen with past Bungie plans and road-maps. Let’s hope that Bungie utilizes the extra time to ensure Destiny 3 launches with the quality of experience we received in Forsaken.
Like what you read? Be sure to follow StarSide with FutureFoe every Friday as we continue to analyze details as they emerge.
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