Bungie has confirmed that it’s delaying The Final Shape, the upcoming expansion to Destiny 2, from a February 2024 release to June 6, 2024.
This follows a period of turmoil at the company that included layoffs of over 100 employees. To bridge the new gap in the live service game’s schedule, Bungie is launching a new event in April called Into the Light which will last two months until the launch of The Final Shape.
According to a release announcement from Bungie’s staff, it’s planning to delay the title to make room for “an even bigger and bolder vision” for the expansion. The developer is also extending the current event, Season of the Wish, until the launch of The Final Shape in June with additional content to help players stay occupied until the new expansion launches.
The news comes shortly on the heels of a round of layoffs at Bungie, including several members of its community support staff. Many players suspected a Final Shape delay was coming, as Bloomberg reported the expansion had already been quietly delayed internally, as was the upcoming new IP Marathon. The reported reason for the layoffs was that the company predicted it was running at 45% below revenue projections for the year.
In a blog post earlier this month, the Destiny 2 dev team stated that it wanted to earn back player trust by making The Final Shape “an unforgettable Destiny experience.” Other reported factors for the delay include dwindling player numbers for Destiny 2, and the dev team also acknowledged in the blog post that players had a mixed response to previous expansions. As they said, “Destiny needs to surprise and delight. We haven’t done this enough and that’s going to change.”