Bungie views The Final Shape as Destiny 2's eleventh-hour save

gamedeveloper.com:

Days after Bungie's recent round of layoffs, the company hopes Destiny 2's upcoming Final Shape expansion will be a potential savior for the shared-world shooter. 

According to a new Forbes report, the developer wants the expansion to be on par with Destiny: The Taken King and Destiny 2: The Witch Queen. That's the impetus for Shape's recent delay to June 2024, as Bungie recently affirmed that it wanted to "build something that will be regarded alongside the best games we’ve ever made."

"We are intensely focused on exceeding your expectations for The Final Shape," continued Bungie. "Destiny 2 has more than 650 dedicated teammates pouring all their energy and expertise into delivering this epic moment and its subsequent Episodes."

Some staff knew of Shape's delay months ago, continued Forbes. But the delay was revealed late enough that Bungie couldn't create an equivalent to its previous 30th Anniversary event to naturally fill the void in February 2024 (its original release date). Some sort of content will launch around that time, but there are presently no specifics. 

Bungie's layoffs were in part blamed on Destiny 2's declining player base, and Forbes notes that engagement and player spending have sharply fallen after the release of Destiny 2: Lightfallthis past February. Even so, it's alleged that the expansion sold "very well."

Ahead of the layoffs, management reportedly looked for various ways to avoid them, though executive compensation was apparently not one of those options. Similarly, the developer's recently acquired new building was said to be a non-factor in the reductions, and the $1.2 billion for employee retention had barely anything left to avoid cuts. 

Reportedly, Bungie staff harbor anger towards management,