One of the biggest questions players have moving into next-generation is what will happen to these ongoing living games that they are enjoying and playing on their current-gen consoles. For Destiny 2 players, that query has (kind of) been answered. Destiny 2 PS5 and Xbox Series X have been confirmed in some manner, though details about the next-gen version of Bungie’s shooter remain light.
In a tweet by the Xbox Social Marketing Manager, Bungie’s logo was included in an image along with other developer and publisher logos, with a caption saying “When you’re throwing a next-gen party and EVERYONE is coming.” Bungie Community Manager Dylan Gafner (better known as dmg04) retweeted it with a reply saying “Been seeing some folks ask about Bungie being on the roster: We’re excited for our community to play Destiny 2 on next-gen platforms. More details to come.”
Cheers to @Xbox for the show today. Lots of awesome stuff coming!
Been seeing some folks ask about @Bungie being on the roster: We’re excited for our community to play Destiny 2 on next-gen platforms. More details to come. https://t.co/Mqirc3dMcr
— dmg04 (Wash your hands) (@A_dmg04) May 7, 2020
The official Bungie account also replied to a similar Xbox tweet saying the same thing.
Destiny 2 will be on next-gen platforms! More details to come. pic.twitter.com/1ZZqGZjjjg
— Bungie (@Bungie) May 7, 2020
Unfortunately, that’s the extent of the knowledge we’ve been given. It’s not entirely clear if Destiny 2 will simply be playable via backwards compatibility, if it will be optimized for next-gen, or if there will be entirely new Destiny 2 PS5 and Xbox Series X versions replete with overhauls and new features that the current generation of the game doesn’t have. Given its inclusion on the initial tweet and Bungie’s hype for it, we can probably assume that its next-gen integration is more than just simple backwards compatibility, but how far that optimization will go remains to be seen.
It also seems to confirm Destiny 2 as Bungie’s platform for the franchise moving forward, with no Destiny 3 in sight. It brings up a number of questions, such as how cross-play will work between the generations given the console power disparity (next-gen players would be held back by long load times, etc. from this generation), and when Bungie’s support for the PS4 version of Destiny 2 will stop (Bungie eventually stopped supporting the PS3 version of the original Destiny when new expansions were developed exclusively for the current-gen platforms).
One thing we can immediately assume is a reduction in load times, which have grown as the game gets new updates and additions. It would also be nice to see the next-gen consoles’ power utilized for something like increased Vault space and other inventory management solutions, but that might not be possible if Bungie wants to maintain parity across the consoles. It’s exciting to know at least that Bungie is looking at how it can utilize the power of the next-gen console to further improve its space-faring looter shooter.
The Destiny 2 we start playing on PS5 and Xbox Series X could be a very different game from the one we’re playing right now. There’s an impending doom that is set to arrive next season as a massive army of pyramid ships heads towards our playable game space. There are even some rumors that Bungie might wipe out an entire patrol location in an effort to evolve the game world in a meaningful and permanent way. We’ll see how Destiny 2’s next-gen integration ties into the ongoing narrative structure, with a new fall expansion expected to be announced within the next couple of months along with a new year’s worth of seasonal content to come.
