Activision

Bungie has confirmed that Destiny 2, the live service shooter, will receive its final content update nearly nine years after its initial release. The studio, known for creating Halo and recently launching the extraction shooter Marathon, has announced that the last update for Destiny 2 will be released on 9 June 2026. Although active development will cease, the game will remain playable. Bungie shared the following statement on social media today: "For almost 12 years, we have had the joy and honour to explore the Destiny universe with you all. Through all the ups and downs, surprises and triumphs, building Destiny alongside our players has been a monumental privilege. While our love for Destiny 2 has not changed, it has become clear that after The Final Shape, we have reached the time for our shared worlds, and Destiny, to live beyond Destiny 2. As our focus turns towards a new beginning for Bungie, we will begin work incubating our next games. To that end, on 9 June 2026, we will release the final live-service content update for Destiny 2 to begin that new journey as a studio. Though active development may be concluding, we will ensure that Destiny 2 remains playable, just as the original Destiny is today. Many changes in this final update will aim to ensure that Destiny 2 is a welcoming place for players to return to. We’re proud of Destiny 2, the places it took us, and the legacy it has created. Because of you all, our universe is vast, built on years of shared stories, adventures, and victories. From the Cosmodrome to the Pale Heart to the Lawless Frontier, we have forged life-long memories and friendships with you all. We are incredibly grateful to everyone who made that journey with us. From the deepest part of our hearts, thank you, and we'll see you in the stars." There is no indication of a future Destiny game in development, nor any mention of Marathon. Bungie seems to be focusing the conversation on the final updates for Destiny 2. However, the announcement suggests that the Destiny franchise has reached its conclusion, marking the end of an era for the genre-defining series. Destiny 1 launched on 9 September 2014 for the PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One. It achieved significant commercial success but received a mixed response from critics. As part of a high-profile publishing deal with Activision, the company behind Call of Duty, Destiny expansions and updates were released. Destiny 2 launched on the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on 6 September 2017, with a PC version following a month later. However, tensions between Bungie and Activision emerged behind the scenes, leading to the two companies officially parting ways in January 2019, five years before their 10-year publishing deal was set to end. With Destiny under its own control, Bungie self-published the game. However, financial troubles and layoffs ensued as Destiny 2 expansions failed to meet expectations and the player base declined. Sony acquired Bungie in early 2022 in a deal valued at $3.6 billion. Despite this, Sony has admitted that the acquisition has yet to yield a return, recently reporting a $765 million impairment loss due to Bungie's underperformance. During the financial year ending 31 March 2026, Sony’s Game & Network Services Segment, which includes PlayStation, suffered a 120.1 billion yen (approximately $765 million) impairment loss against Bungie’s assets. Sony had already reported a 31.5 billion yen (approximately $204.2 million) impairment charge due to Destiny 2’s underperformance during the second quarter of its fiscal year. An additional 88.6 billion yen (approximately $565 million) impairment charge was reported for the fourth quarter. The hardcore extraction shooter Marathon launched in early March, within the last fiscal year and during the quarter in which Sony reported the additional 88.6 billion yen impairment charge against Bungie. Marathon reportedly had a budget exceeding $250 million and, according to analysts, has failed to meet sales expectations. During an investor-focused Q&A, Sony chief financial officer Lin Tao indicated that the company will continue to support Marathon in an effort to grow its user base. "In our studio business, earnings from Bungie’s title portfolio did not reach our expectations, so we downwardly revised our business plan and impaired the full amount of the fixed assets related to Bungie except for goodwill," Tao said. "Player reception to Marathon is strong, with the game receiving a Metacritic score of 82 and more than 90% of the player reviews on Steam being positive. Engagement metrics such as retention also remain at a high level. Going forward, we aim to improve the performance of the game by working to retain highly engaged core users through the introduction of additional content, further improvements in the gameplay experience and expansion of the user base."