Summary
TheDestiny 2player count appears to be at its lowest point ever during Season of the Witch, as the popular live service title faces competition from several critically acclaimed games released throughout the year. Overall player sentiment has also been affected by Bungie’s recent layoffs, which saw a considerable portion of theDestiny 2community team being let go.
In Season of the Witch,Destiny 2players prepare for what’s to come in The Final Shape expansion by aiding Eris Morn in a plan that will open a path toward the Witness. The season’s reveal was well-received by theDestiny 2community, since it brought back fond memories of The Witch Queen expansion for many returning players. Although the season was off to a great start,Destiny 2’smomentum slowed down due to player fatigue, frustrations regarding Bungie’s approach to feedback, and rising interest in 2023’s biggest games, such asBaldur’s Gate 3andStarfield. The community’s frustrations regardingDestiny 2and Bungie came to a head after news broke of mass layoffs at the studio andinternal delays of The Final Shape expansion andMarathon. These factors led to a plummeting player count forDestiny 2as Season of the Wish approaches in late November.
Destiny 2player Merzats created a spreadsheet for the game’s Steam player count inSeason of the Witch, revealing a downward trend and a new all-time low for concurrent players on the platform. Merzats notes that the overall player count forDestiny 2on Steam is down to roughly 38,453 players, which is nearly 3,000 players less than Season of Plunder’s lowest player count at 41,413. The average peak concurrent player count is also lower in Season of the Witch, since Season of the Worthy, Season of the Splicer, and Season of Plunder maintained higher overall player counts throughout its duration.
Merzats' Reddit post sparked discussions regarding the declining player base, with many players citing boredom with the seasonal model, a lack of innovation, andfrustration with Bungie’s monetization practices inDestiny 2. Moreover, the topic of Bungie’s mass layoffs remains prevalent as one of the reasons why some players decided to stop playingDestiny 2this season. Others believe the story beats of the Lightfall campaign also contributed to the overall decline in player count as 2023 wraps up.
Although Steam charts do not directly reflect theDestiny 2player base on consoles, a steep decline on one platform may be indicative of a concerning trend for the game as a whole.Destiny 2’sSeason of the Wishlaunch will likely bring a notable increase in the overall player count, but the reported delay of The Final Shape could potentially bring content droughts and exacerbate the game’s issues for remaining players. Bungie may want to ensure that The Final Shape will have the content and changes that fans have been requesting for many months in order to promote growth forDestiny 2.
