Destiny 2 reaches worst average of players on Steam; Sony questioned after $3.6 billion

The performance of Bungie is once again under scrutiny, with the continuous service shooter Destiny 2 registering the lowest average number of players in its history on the Steam platform. This drastic drop in popularity rekindles questions about the validity of the $3.6 billion investment made by Sony in acquiring the studio in 2022.

According to a detailed report from The Game Post, the scenario is critical. In the past 30 days, the base of active players on Steam averaged only 18,439 users. For a title that maintained numbers three times higher just over a year ago, the decline is undeniable and worrisome for Sony, who relied on Bungie's expertise in service-oriented games.

The decline pattern has been repeating over the past 18 months, and not even the most recent expansions have been able to reverse the trend. In June 2024, the release of The Final Shape reached a peak of 314,000 players, but the latest content, The Edge of Fate, released last summer, only reached a peak of 98,000. The community shows low confidence that a new DLC scheduled for December — dubbed "the Star Wars expansion" — will be enough to reverse the negative trajectory.

The growing distrust of the Destiny community is the main point of criticism in the industry. Many fans argue that, given the current situation and the constant player decline, Bungie should focus on gradually shutting down Destiny 2 and start developing Destiny 3. However, this option seems unlikely, given the studio's current focus and the need to justify Sony's high acquisition value.

Amidst the issues with Destiny 2, Bungie is trying to reignite enthusiasm with its new shooter project, Marathon. The company is gearing up for a closed technical test this month in an attempt to prove that they still maintain the vision and ability to create successful continuous service titles.

The shooter Destiny 2 from Bungie averaged only 18,439 active players on Steam in the past 30 days, the lowest level in the franchise's history. This performance questions the acquisition of the studio by Sony for $3.6 billion in 2022, as not even recent expansions like The Edge of Fate (peak of 98,000) were able to sustain the player base.