Destiny 2, Which was Announced to be Shutting Down, is Experiencing a Surge in Players
Destiny 2 experienced unexpected activity after Bungie announced it would be leaving the game behind after the next major update and shifting its focus to Marathon. The long-declining player count rose again on Steam following the announcement. The Destiny 2 community is already debating whether this increase is a wave of farewells or a message to Bungie that “there’s still life in this game.”
Destiny 2 Players Return Before the Last Update
According to SteamDB data, Destiny 2 reached very close to 19,000 concurrent players on Steam over the weekend. This number is one of the highest the game has seen on the platform since February 2nd. While it’s difficult to see the exact number of players on consoles, the activity on Steam shows that the announcement had a direct impact on the community.
The timing of this surge is quite significant. The return of players to the game in the first weekend after Bungie announced it would end Destiny 2 updates naturally evokes a sense of “one last look.” Some players may want to say goodbye to their Guardians after a long absence, while others may want to show Bungie that the game still has an active and engaged community.
However, this increase doesn’t mean Destiny 2 is returning to its former glory days. The game has previously reached concurrent player numbers exceeding 300,000 on Steam. Even more recently, major updates have seen numbers of 100,000 and 70,000. While the current situation offers a short-term recovery, it doesn’t seem strong enough to change Bungie’s decision.
Interestingly, Marathon, which Bungie is focusing all its attention on, isn’t performing as strongly as expected. While its launch peaked at 88,000 concurrent players, it’s currently reportedly even lagging behind Destiny 2. So the big question in the community is: Is Bungie really leaving the game behind? For now, the answer is unclear, but Destiny 2 players are back on the field before the final act.
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