Destiny's Full Reset Means Destiny 2 is Coming to PC?
By Anthony Taormina 01 March 2017
While most Destiny fans were not expecting Bungie to reveal anything about Destiny 2 during today’s content update tease, the developer did offer up a pretty substantial revelation. As some had speculated, Destiny 2 will be a full reset for old and new players, removing any gear or levels accumulated during Destiny 1.
Of course, the news of Destiny 2’s full reset has been divisive to say the least. While some praise the idea of starting fresh in a new game, others are disappointed to hear they will leave 3 years’ worth of accomplishments behind. But although it may be disappointing to hear Destiny 2 will start fresh, it also opens up the sequel to new possibilities and paves the way for the game to release on PC.
Destiny 2 on PC Needs to Start Fresh
For quite a while now there have been rumors that Destiny 2 would release for PC, but most of them were predicated on inside sources. Bungie still hasn’t said anything about whether or not its sequel will make the jump to PC, but with today’s announcement the studio has made the path much easier.
With a full reset on the menu, Destiny 2’s jump to PC has little resistance, because it puts all players on an even playing field. Not that any PC player would have an advantage, since Destiny 1 is not available for PC, but when comparing to console players.
For Activision and Bungie, Destiny 2 marks an opportunity to build upon the successes of Destiny 1 and to learn from its failures. And a PC launch will open the series up to a large population of gamers, many of whom have been waiting patiently for their turn.
There’s obviously no guarantee that Destiny 2 will come to PC, but Bungie has certainly opened the door with today’s news. Moreover, the studio has set itself up to welcome a whole new community of potential fans, even at the cost of some of its most hardcore supporters.
Destiny 2 Must Top Destiny 1’s Success
It’s also entirely possible that the reset of level and gear is a byproduct of Destiny 2 moving to a new graphics engine or development platform. Without the need to develop for PS3 and Xbox 360, Bungie has the freedom to expand Destiny in numerous ways, and perhaps doing so means leaving the old technology, and everything that was built with it, behind.
Even if it isn’t PC players, the full reset might be an attempt to bring newcomers into the fold with little resistance – to eliminate the feeling that they are behind the curve in any way. There may not be a ton, but there will be some who jump on the bandwagon for Destiny 2 that have never played Destiny 1. Activision has already said Destiny 2 will expand the global reach of the franchise, but how exactly it plans to execute on that plan is unclear.
Some early players may even come back if Bungie’s sequel is enticing enough or significantly changes up the game. For example, there are some rumors that Destiny 2 will be more like an MMO, which would intrigue gamers that may have been put off by the approach of the first game and its expansions.
For now it’s a waiting game, with Bungie playing everything close to the vest, but there is a lot to be taken from today. Bungie is starting to talk about Destiny 2 – note: the post never explicitly calls sequel that – which means the marketing train has begun.
Destiny 2 will release this fall.
