First Destiny 2 expansion in new era launches with historical low player count

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In contrast to an explosive start, Destiny 2’s latest chapter, Edge of Fate, commenced more quietly, marking the game’s lowest player participation since its debut.

Since the launch of Destiny 1 right up until last year, Bungie gradually built up interconnected storylines over time, culminating in a comprehensive narrative known as the Light and Darkness saga. This long-term project encompassed a total of twelve expansions over the past decade.

In June 2024, The Final Shape was unveiled, marking a climax in anticipation. Ever since, Destiny 2 enthusiasts have been on edge, eagerly awaiting the launch of the next major event, amidst occasional smaller updates that neatly wrapped up lingering plot threads.

On July 15, the much-anticipated new chapter for the Fate Saga, titled Edge of Fate, was officially launched, marking the start of a fresh era. Yet, this debut received a less enthusiastic response compared to previous launches in the series.

Destiny 2 starts new era at an all-time low

Historically, the introduction of new expansions tends to attract the largest number of players to Destiny 2. These expansions usually come with fresh storylines, new characters, locations, exotic items, and other features, making it an ideal moment for returning players.

Despite high expectations for Edge of Fate’s release, the reality hasn’t matched up. The latest expansion peaked at 99,193 players on Steam on July 16th, but didn’t manage to surpass six figures – falling significantly short of half the peak of its second-weakest expansion launch.

To provide some context, The Final Shape, released in 2024, peaked at 314,000 simultaneous players on Steam. Previously, in 2023, Lightfall was the game that set the record for the highest number of Destiny 2 players ever on this platform, reaching a staggering 316,750 concurrent players.

Destiny 2’s expansions, The Witch Queen and Beyond Light, fell short of reaching a player base of 300,000 simultaneous users, peaking at 290,000 and 242,000 players respectively during their highest activity periods.

Although The Edge of Fate’s Raid, The Desert Perpetual, might occasionally bring a slight increase in its peak audience, generally speaking, this isn’t common due to the demanding process needed just to reach the endgame content. Consequently, it usually results in more viewers tuning in on streaming platforms rather than a larger overall viewership.

It’s important to note that these statistics don’t provide a complete overview. At the moment of this writing, there’s no information available about console data.

Let’s be patient as we observe the possible implications of a less successful launch for Destiny 2. However, it’s important to note that this occurs during a challenging period for the Bungie team.

The marathon has been postponed indefinitely following the discovery of an art theft scandal during the Closed Alpha phase of the game.

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2025-07-17 05:48