Future 2 followers have been ready with bated breath to be taught extra about the way forward for the sport. The Ultimate Form growth was the conclusion of the long-running Mild and Darkness saga, and it was well-received by veterans who had faithfully adopted all the franchise’s lore. This was adopted by a large-scale reorganization of Bungie, with 225 staff being laid off, and over 200 staff being reassigned to totally different studios inside Sony.
Monday, for the 10-year anniversary of the Future franchise, Bungie has launched a roadmap titled Codename: Frontiers that showcases the way forward for Future 2. There shall be two medium-sized expansions yearly. In 2025, Bungie will launch the Codename: Apollo growth throughout Summer time 2025, after which the Codename: Behemoth growth in Winter. There shall be a further 4 main updates of free content material annually, working alongside the expansions.
Expansions will provide new tales, areas, missions, and raids and dungeons for gamers. Seasonal updates shall be extra centered on gameplay, providing new occasions and placing contemporary twists on in-game actions. “Expansions have began to really feel too formulaic and are over too shortly with little replay worth,” writes Tyson Inexperienced, sport director for Future 2. Inexperienced is a long-time developer on Future who assumed the function after Joe Blackburn left the studio previous to The Ultimate Form’s launch.
“Seasons and Episodes hold getting greater however can nonetheless really feel like you might be simply going by means of the motions. […] We’re actively prototyping non-linear campaigns, exploration experiences just like the Dreaming Metropolis or Metroidvanias, and much more uncommon codecs like roguelikes or survival shooters. Every growth will current a brand new alternative to attempt one thing totally different.”
Bungie additionally intends to make modifications to the core sport because it at the moment is, in try to stop providing far an excessive amount of to do with little steering. Bungie shall be overhauling the sport’s exercise UI, the Director, to assist gamers discover the actions that they get pleasure from or provide the rewards they’re attempting to find. There may also be modifications to the Problem Customization system, with rewards that rank up together with the problem.
The tip of the Mild and Darkness Saga doesn’t imply an finish to multi-year campaigns. Alison Lührs, narrative director on Future 2, shares a number of the upcoming story content material. “We’re pleased with The Ultimate Form and the ending we created for the Mild and Darkness Saga. And we knew that the episodes that comply with would act as an epilogue, tying up Mild and Darkish’s hanging threads… but additionally setting us up for what’s subsequent,” she writes.
Codename: Apollo will kick off the following main saga on the coronary heart of Future 2; whereas Lührs is deliberately gentle on particulars to keep away from spoilers, she writes that Codename: Apollo is “a nonlinear character-driven journey” that “will introduce loads of new characters, factions, twists, and extra.” The title Frontiers suggests new territories, and followers have been speculating that within the conclusion to The Ultimate Form, Guardians could lastly be leaving the Sol System for brand new galaxies.
A lot of the upcoming content material for Future 2 shall be experimental. As Lührs writes, “Future is at its finest when it’s mysterious, bizarre, and never afraid to attempt new issues.” It seems like Bungie is shedding a number of the components of its on-line shooter that had been tedious for followers, and experimenting with new codecs and types. It stays to be seen how these trials prove, however a dedication to extra narrative content material is a aid in gentle of the conclusion of The Ultimate Form and the successive layoffs.
