Same story with the free-to-play version
Bungie is coming up on the release of Destiny 2‘s first major expansion since its split with Activision. However, that milestone has suffered a minor setback and will release just a bit later than expected.
Destiny 2‘s Shadowkeep expansion has been delayed from September 17 to October 1. In an announcement post, Bungie says the add-on “would benefit from a bit more time in the oven,” while praising that Destiny‘s independence means “[the developer is] agile enough to choose to do what’s best for the game and [the] players, even if it’s the hard choice.”
New Light is affected the same as Shadowkeep. Whereas Shadowkeep is the standard annual $35 expansion, New Light is the upcoming free-to-play Destiny that essentially includes everything before Year Two content. It’s also set for October 1 now, and will release on PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
This delay alters the timeline of some other events. For instance, Shadowkeep‘s raid, Garden of Salvation, is now set to go live on Saturday, October 5. Additionally, because the new year of Destiny is starting later than planned, Bungie’s giving players some extra time to finish up last year; the Moments of Triumph challenges and rewards have been extended through September 17. Also, there will be an additional Iron Banner during the week of September 17. Lastly, Bungie still plans to implement cross-save functionality before Shadowkeep launches.
A little delay never hurt anyone, and it’s seemingly in the best interest of everyone that Shadowkeep be pushed back a few weeks. But, this is the first good reminder that Bungie alone is now shouldering the responsibility for Destiny. It doesn’t have publisher resources to lean on (like access to support developer High Moon Studios). This won’t be the only bump in the road. Destiny‘s indie now — and that comes with a lot of pros and a lot of cons.
New Launch Window [Bungie]
