Destiny 2
Documents about Destiny 2
Destiny 2 Edge of Fate Launches With Lowest Steam Peak Player Count in History
The launch of Destiny 2: Edge of Fate marks a historic low for the franchise on Steam, with peak concurrent player counts reaching only 99,193.
- Destiny 2: The Edge of Fate expansion recorded the lowest day-one peak player count on Steam since the game launched on the platform.
- Pre-orders for the Edge of Fate expansion were down nearly 50% compared to the previous expansion, The Final Shape.
- Despite the decline in player engagement, the new raid, The Desert Perpetual, is scheduled to launch with a 48-hour contest mode.
Nintendo Switch 2 Breaks Sales Records With Biggest UK Launch Yet: Report
The Nintendo Switch 2 has established a new benchmark for the company’s hardware performance in the United Kingdom, achieving the most successful console launch in Nintendo’s regional history.
- The Nintendo Switch 2 launched on June 5, 2025, marking the biggest console launch in Nintendo’s history within the UK.
- Switch 2 launch sales in the UK more than doubled the original Nintendo Switch's launch performance of approximately 80,000 units.
- Despite record-breaking numbers for Nintendo, the Switch 2's UK launch sales ranked behind the PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, and Xbox Series consoles.
385 Days to Go: Rockstar Shows GTA VI for the First Time Since December 2023
The release of the second trailer for Grand Theft Auto VI, unveiled in May 2025, highlights the intense anticipation surrounding the title’s scheduled May 26, 2026, launch.
- Grand Theft Auto VI is scheduled for release on May 26, 2026, with 385 days remaining until launch as of May 6, 2025.
- Rockstar released the second trailer for GTA VI, which highlights more of the game's supporting cast and the fictional state of Leonida.
- Microsoft’s premiere franchise Gears of War: Reloaded will launch on PlayStation in August, following a trend where the three best-selling games on PlayStation in April 2025 were all from Microsoft studios.
Bungie Layoffs: 50% Workforce Reduction
Between October 2023 and late 2024, Bungie underwent a significant structural contraction, reducing its workforce by nearly 50%.
- Bungie’s workforce contracted by approximately 50% between mid-2023 and the end of 2024, shrinking from 1,600 employees to roughly 850.
- The studio underwent two major waves of staff reductions: an initial 8% cut (approx. 100 employees) in October 2023, followed by further layoffs and staff relocations that totaled nearly 30% of the company.
- The layoffs were driven by a 45% shortfall in 2023 revenue targets, declining player engagement in Destiny 2, and unsustainable operational costs from rapid expansion.
How Well Have Xbox Games on PlayStation Been Selling So Far? It Differs
Xbox has transitioned into a third-party publisher, strategically porting its software to PlayStation to mitigate stagnating console and Game Pass growth.
- Xbox's multi-platform strategy has generated significant sales on PlayStation, led by Sea of Thieves with 1.8 million copies and Grounded with 432.2 thousand copies sold since April 2024.
- Xbox is successfully reaching a new audience on PlayStation, as evidenced by 29% of Grounded players on the platform also playing Sea of Thieves, suggesting a cohort of 'Xbox-curious' users.
- Niche Xbox titles have seen lower adoption on PlayStation compared to larger hits, with Hi-Fi Rush selling 137.2 thousand copies, Age of Mythology Retold selling 41 thousand, and Pentiment selling 14 thousand.
Nintendo Switch 2 Units Ready to Ship With Mass Production Underway
Mass production of the Nintendo Switch 2 is currently underway, evidenced by a significant surge in manufacturing activity within the global supply chain.
- Foxconn Technology reported a 223% year-over-year revenue increase for November 2024, reaching NT$11.45 billion, which analysts attribute to the mass assembly of the Nintendo Switch 2.
- Under International Financial Reporting Standards, the revenue recognition suggests that completed Nintendo Switch 2 units were transferred from Foxconn to Nintendo by November 2024.
- Contract manufacturing timelines indicate that mass assembly of the new Nintendo hardware likely commenced as early as September 2024.
Destiny 2 Episode Revenant Launches With Lowest Day-1 Peak Player Count On Steam
The launch of Destiny 2’s latest content update, Episode Revenant, on October 8, 2024, marked a historic low for the franchise in terms of player engagement on Steam.
- Destiny 2's latest update, Episode Revenant, recorded the lowest day-one peak player count on Steam in the game's history, reaching only 78,328 concurrent users on October 8, 2024.
- The launch performance of Episode Revenant represents a significant decline compared to previous major releases, such as The Final Shape/Episode Echoes, which saw a day-one peak of 314,634 players.
- Player engagement has trended downward following the conclusion of the game's ten-year saga in The Final Shape, leading many users to perceive the end of that narrative as a natural stopping point for their participation.
Destiny 2 Hits Lowest Player Count In Franchise’s History
Destiny 2 has reached its lowest player count in the franchise’s history, signaling a significant decline in engagement for the long-running looter-shooter.
- Destiny 2 has reached its lowest player count in franchise history on Steam, with a 30-day average of 32,497 players.
- The game's average monthly player count on Steam has declined by approximately 74% since the June 2024 launch of The Final Shape expansion, which saw 123,023 average players.
- Current total active player counts across all platforms—including PlayStation, Xbox, and PC—are estimated at approximately 469,180.
Destiny 2 Trials of Osiris Hits Lowest Player Count in History
The competitive player-versus-player mode Trials of Osiris in Destiny 2 has reached its lowest participation levels since its inception.
- Destiny 2's Trials of Osiris mode hit a record-low player count of 75,476 on September 3, 2024.
- Player engagement has declined significantly from 2023 peaks, such as the 542,874 players recorded on March 21, 2023, following the Lightfall expansion.
- Community sentiment is negatively impacted by the conclusion of the 'Light and Darkness' saga and a lack of clear communication from Bungie regarding the franchise's future.
Steam Revenue Leaders: H1 2024
The Steam platform’s revenue landscape for the first half of 2024 demonstrates a clear dominance of established live-service titles alongside a select group of high-performing new releases.
- Counter-Strike 2 was the highest-grossing game on Steam in H1 2024, generating an estimated $610 million in gross revenue.
- Twelve games surpassed $50 million in gross revenue on Steam during the first half of 2024, with new releases accounting for 33% of that group.
- Helldivers 2 and Palworld emerged as the top-performing new releases, generating $458 million and $378 million in gross revenue, respectively.
Looter Shooters like Borderlands See Over 19M Hours Watched on Live Streaming
The live-streaming performance of the Borderlands franchise serves as a case study for the necessity of consistent content updates in maintaining audience engagement.
- The looter shooter genre remains highly popular on live streaming, with titles like 'The First Descendant' generating 9.7 million hours watched in its first month following a July 2, 2024, release.
- Borderlands 3 previously achieved a peak monthly viewership of 18 million hours watched upon its release in September 2019, aided by the innovative 'ECHOcast' Twitch extension that allowed viewers to interact directly with gameplay.
- Despite the recent Borderlands film release, viewership for the franchise remains low compared to active titles, with the film failing to drive significant long-term engagement despite doubling Twitch chat mentions to 35,000 during its debut week.
Destiny 2: The Final Shape Sales Performance
The latest expansion for Destiny 2, The Final Shape, has reportedly underperformed in sales compared to its predecessor, Lightfall.
- Destiny 2's latest expansion, The Final Shape, has reportedly sold fewer copies than its predecessor, Lightfall, despite receiving critical acclaim.
- Bungie has laid off 17% of its workforce as part of a restructuring effort to address ongoing financial losses incurred since the February 2023 launch of Lightfall.
- Former Bungie employees claim that studio leadership overstated financial prospects to Sony, leading to internal concerns that Sony overpaid for the acquisition of Bungie.