More than 120,000 people have signed an online petition urging Sony to greenlight the development of Destiny 3, though the prospect of the game actually being produced looks slim.
The gaming community was left reeling this week following an announcement from developer Bungie that the final update for Destiny 2 is scheduled for June. This move effectively signals the conclusion of the Destiny era, a journey that began with significant momentum back in 2014. Since the news, there has been considerable anxiety regarding Bungie’s future, particularly in light of upcoming layoffs and the fact that Marathon, Bungie’s recently launched ultra hardcore extraction shooter, has failed to achieve widespread success.
Amidst this uncertainty, there is a mounting demand for Bungie to move forward with Destiny 3. One online petition is currently calling on Sony, Bungie’s parent company, to approve the project. The movement has gathered over 120,000 signatures and continues to grow. Harley Casto, the creator of the petition, stated that
the desire for new adventures, fresh storylines, and innovative gameplay features is palpable among players everywhere.
Casto went on to explain the motivation behind the drive, saying:
We believe in the potential of Destiny 3 to inspire new generations of gamers and to keep the fire of the Guardian spirit alive. Join us in petitioning Sony to take this leap forward. Sign the petition to show your support for Destiny 3 and help us bring our love for this series to the next level. Together, let’s make Destiny 3 a reality.
Whether a third instalment is actually on the cards remains doubtful. According to Bloomberg, Bungie is facing “significant” layoffs in the coming months due to the end of Destiny 2 support, and Destiny 3 is not currently being developed. While reports suggest Bungie intends to keep pitching new concepts within the Destiny universe, there is no indication that a third game is part of those plans.
This raises the question of why such a project isn’t happening. For many fans, a sequel seemed like the natural progression for Bungie following the release of The Final Shape, the expansion that concludes the current story, in June 2024. If it was the obvious next step, why was no team assigned to it two years ago? Jason Schreier, a reporter for Bloomberg, suggested in a social media post that the issue comes down to “how much money it would take.”
The cost of triple-A development has risen sharply during the lifespan of the Destiny franchise, with modern titles sometimes requiring hundreds of millions of dollars to produce. For instance, Marathon is reported to have had a budget exceeding $250 million. Similarly, Kotaku reported that the initial development costs for Sony’s unsuccessful live-service shooter, Concord, were roughly $200 million. Documents from the Xbox Federal Trade Commission case in 2023 also revealed that both Horizon Forbidden West and The Last of Us: Part II cost more than $200 million each to develop. Furthermore, court documents recently showed the massive scale of Activision’s spending, confirming that $700 million was poured into Black Ops Cold War over its entire life cycle.
With the video game industry currently facing difficulties, PlayStation is actively reducing costs and increasing console prices, while the number of failed live-service games continues to grow. In this climate, it seems improbable that Sony will commit to a massive financial gamble on Destiny 3.
Consequently, this may well signal the end of the Destiny franchise. This reality is reflected in the many social media posts from fans who are already reminiscing about their time with the series and saying their goodbyes. For now, Sony is focusing its support on Marathon, with plans to release new content as Bungie attempts to boost its player base.
Despite the hundreds of thousands of people signing petitions to make it happen, Destiny 3 may ultimately remain nothing more than a dream.
