Players Are Skeptical After Destiny 2 Received the 'Top Seller Award' on Steam

This year has not been so kind to Destiny 2. However, it did not stop Bungie's first-person looter shooter from being included in Steam's "Best of 2023" list. This baffled many of its players, especially since the game missed revenue projections by a whopping 45%.

Surprise Inclusion

Steam, the popular platform where players can purchase and download a ton of games, has recently released its "Best of 2023" list. While the gaming industry's heavy hitters like Counter-Strike 2 and Baldur's Gate III are part of the "Platinum" tier (and understandably so), Destiny 2 makes a surprise appearance in the same group as well.

This has confused many of its players because it was not long ago that Bungie, the development company behind the game, laid off more than 100 of its employees due to missing 45% of its target revenue for the year.

Part of the reason why Destiny 2 has missed the mark largely stems from the fact that the recent Lightfall expansion could have done better in terms of sales. The said expansion was criticized for its weak plot, so much so that it was deemed as "filler content" by the player base.

While it is surprising to many players that Destiny 2 is part of the exclusive list, it still probably raked in a lot of cash, but it was not enough to make Bungie and Sony happy.

For those who are unaware, Bungie was acquired by Sony back in July 2022. Because of Covid, a lot of people were forced to stay at home due to lockdowns and heavy restrictions. Some of them played games during that time, including Destiny 2, which contributed to the massive influx of players.

As a result, the company may have set unrealistic expectations based on the performance of the game at the height of the pandemic. And, because of the community's lukewarm reception to Lightfall, this has understandably led to the game losing its player base. Even more so now that Bungie fired roughly 10% of its workforce, including popular figures like the esteemed composer Michael Salvatori and art director Lorrain McLees, among many others.

Generally Confused

Over on Reddit, Destiny 2 players are surprised and confused about the game's inclusion in Steam's "Top Seller" list. Some people have shared their take on this matter.

Redditor Synkhe said that if Destiny 2 is a top seller this year, yet it still missed its target revenue by 45%, then Bungie may have set something absurdly high that even this game could not reach.

Another Redditor said the game enjoyed a massive increase in player count at the start of the Lightfall expansion earlier this year. But, since the hype died down, that number quickly dropped to average numbers.

"There were a lot of inflated expectations coming out of Covid across many industries, and the massive layoffs across tech especially this year are in large part because of that," said Redditor n080dy123.

Destiny 2, despite its recent woes, is still a relatively popular game. That said, it will be interesting to see how Bungie responds to this. Will the company improve the game to make it even better than Lightfall? Or will Destiny 2's upcoming expansion, The Final Shape, be as disappointing as the last one?