Destiny 2 Aims to "Broaden" Franchise's Appeal

Activision Publishing CEO Eric Hirshberg shared some new insight on Destiny 2 today during an earnings call. Asked about the game by an analyst, Hirshberg declined to share specifics about the release timing (it's only confirmed for 2017), but said its aim is to "broaden the appeal" of Destiny. He said it's being made to appeal to existing fans, lapsed players, and newcomers.

"We're on track and really excited for what we think is going to be an awesome sequel for Destiny in 2017," Hirshberg said. "That sequel is designed to both excite our highly engaged current players but also to broaden the appeal even further, bringing in new fans and bringing back lapsed fans."

Earlier in the call, Activision management said the game's ambition is to bring in "millions" of new players.

Hirshberg also acknowledged during the call that Bungie has struggled somewhat to keep up with the demand for new content. He said he thinks the developer should be able to do better in this regard in the future.

"In the past, I've mentioned that the incredible demand for Destiny content has somewhat outpaced our ability to deliver upon that demand," Hirshberg said. "Going forward, along with our partners at Bungie, we've put together what we believe is a very smart approach that will allow us to deliver that steady stream of great content to keep our players engaged and keep the universe alive and growing in the wake of that sequel."

As noted, Destiny 2 itself hasn't yet been formally announced, but the plan for multiple sequels was laid out in a contract between Activision and Bungie. Hirshberg confirmed the next "full game" in the series was in development in 2014. The sequel was reportedly delayed, with the expansion Rise of Iron ultimately taking its place as a sort of stopgap release.

At the end of September, it was reported that Destiny 2 would come to PC and that it might feature more populated planets.