The final two months has been a rollercoaster trip for Future 2 followers, from the heights of the critically-acclaimed Closing Form growth to the depths of downsizing on the studio that made it and experiences of main shifts and deserted ambitions for the sci-fi MMO. Future 2 will proceed, possibly much more sustainably, however not as followers have recognized it, or some had hoped it will.
Final night time, Large Bomb cohost Jeff Grubb reported that Bungie was stepping again from Future 2’s large annual expansions to give attention to smaller “content material packs” that will launch alongside different episodic updates. And at the moment, Bloomberg shed extra mild on these modifications, reporting that as a substitute of main new paid campaigns yearly, these smaller content material drops would intention to be free and modeled after Future 2’s latest Into the Gentle replace which added a horde mode and many new loot for gamers to gather.
Bloomberg additionally reported that an in-development challenge referred to as “Payback” was canceled earlier this yr. It might have been extra of a Future spin-off than a sequel, with third-person motion and a give attention to exploration and team-based boss fights, probably within the vein of Warframe or Genshin Impression. However along with that recreation being canned, the layoffs this week had been a part of a reorganization that included cuts to Future 2’s audio, story, and participant help groups. Luke Smith and Mark Noseworthy, longtime veterans who had been incessantly the face of Future as just lately as this yr (and had been reportedly engaged on “Payback” in response to Grubb), had been additionally laid off.
Maybe essentially the most disappointing information for some followers, nonetheless, is that there’s no Future 3 on the finish of this lengthy, darkish tunnel. In keeping with Bloomberg, it doesn’t exist but and hasn’t been in growth. Whereas that doesn’t preclude it from occurring sooner or later, it’s clear the latest downsizing means Bungie is concentrated on sustaining Future 2’s precarious current and delivery its new extraction shooter Marathon in 2025, versus opening up a totally new chapter within the sci-fi universe it spent the final decade making.
In keeping with reporting by Recreation File, the upheaval for Bungie and Future 2 wasn’t inevitable nevertheless it was a very long time coming, spurred by overly optimistic plans in the course of the pandemic years from studio management and declining gross sales of every new Future 2 growth. If there’s one brilliant spot in all of this for gamers, it appears like the sport’s onboarding shall be a most important focus transferring ahead, serving to new gamers expertise the enjoyable however notoriously advanced and convoluted loot shooter.
