The online gaming industry is one of the most competitive around, with developers facing a continual battle to make their creations stand out from the crowd.
That fight for success is perhaps what makes Destiny so endearing, as the franchise has managed to remain relevant in such a tough marketplace.
Competition to Destiny comes in many different forms, most notably from worldwide successes such as the Halo and Call of Duty series.
However, the franchise must also fight for airtime with other sectors, with the online gambling industry amongst the rivals it faces.
Facing up to the Competition
The gamification of online casinos has revolutionised the way they operate, making titles like the Starburst slot game a more interesting proposition from a gameplay perspective.
Whereas it was once the case that playing slots might fill 15-20 minutes, the multi-faceted nature of the modern games offers much greater longevity.
As people don’t have an unlimited amount of time to undertake entertainment activities, this factor can often result in players choosing gambling over gaming or vice-versa.
With that in mind, it is important for the developers of games like Destiny to offer the same level of longevity in order to keep people engaged.
Tackling the Ongoing Challenges
Destiny’s developers, Bungie, have clearly been successful in ensuring that the franchise has been able to compete effectively against its rivals.
Fresh downloadable content, updates, expansions and more have helped to keep existing players engaged with the series and attracted new gamers to the party.
This is a different approach from other long-standing series such Madden NFL and Grand Theft Auto, which have regularly seen new titles launched to satisfy fan demand.
The strategy has paid dividends thus far, although whether it can be maintained in the future is very much open to debate.
The Short-Term Road Map
Bungie’s recent announcement that there will be three major expansions that will keep the game ticking over until at least 2022 was great news for fans.
The firm generally doesn’t discuss its long-term plans, so the fact they were prepared to release the shackles a little was a welcome development.
The Beyond Light expansion will be released on September 22, with The Witch Queen and Lightfall following over the next two years.
Although no firm dates were set for the last two expansions, it is probably safe to assume that autumn releases will be the most likely outcome.
Beyond Light and into the Darkness
The Beyond Light expansion will see players take control of the ‘Darkness’ – a primordial evil that is the series’ main antagonist and antithesis to the protagonist’s source of supernatural powers.
There will also be a new enemy to contend with that is somehow interlinked to the Darkness narrative running through the game.
The Exo Stranger – a popular character in Destiny 1 – also makes a welcome return and will allow Bungie to tie up some loose threads in the story.
With a new destination also in the mix, Beyond Light appears to have plenty of new features that should keep the franchise rolling forward.
Destiny 3: Give the fans What They Want
Bungie haven’t officially confirmed that there won’t be a Destiny 3, but they have certainly hinted it is unlikely to happen.
However, the launch of the next generation consoles towards the end of 2020 could well be the catalyst for them to have a major rethink.
The improved performance capabilities of the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X are a developer’s dream and it seems unthinkable that Bungie won’t be tempted at some point.
The clamour from fans for Destiny 3 is also likely to grow when the next-gen consoles arrive and could ultimately be the deciding factor.
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