An online petition calling on Sony to greenlight Destiny 3 has already garnered over 120,000 signatures, but the chances of the game actually being made seem slim. Bungie stunned the gaming community this week by announcing that the final update for Destiny 2 will arrive in June, effectively ending the Destiny era that launched with great fanfare in 2014. This has sparked widespread concern, with many worried about Bungie's future amid impending layoffs and the underwhelming performance of Marathon, Bungie's recently released hardcore extraction shooter. Meanwhile, a growing movement is urging Bungie's parent company, Sony, to approve the development of Destiny 3. Petition creator Harley Casto stated, "The desire for new adventures, fresh storylines, and innovative gameplay features is palpable among players everywhere." Casto added, "We believe in the potential of Destiny 3 to inspire new generations of gamers and keep the Guardian spirit alive. Join us in petitioning Sony to take this leap forward. Sign the petition to show your support for Destiny 3 and help us bring our love for this series to the next level. Together, let's make Destiny 3 a reality." But is Destiny 3 actually in the cards? According to Bloomberg, Bungie is facing "significant" layoffs due to the end of Destiny 2 support, and Destiny 3 is not currently in development. Bungie reportedly plans to continue pitching ideas within the Destiny universe, but there's no indication that Destiny 3 is among them. Why not? For many fans, Destiny 3 seemed like an obvious next step after the story-ending expansion The Final Shape launched in June 2024. However, Bloomberg reporter Jason Schreier explained on social media that the issue boils down to "how much money it would take." Triple-A development costs have skyrocketed over Destiny's lifespan, with games now costing hundreds of millions to produce. Marathon reportedly had a budget of over $250 million, and Sony's ill-fated live-service shooter Concord cost around $200 million to develop. In 2023, court documents revealed that The Last of Us: Part II and Horizon Forbidden West each cost over $200 million, while Activision poured $700 million into Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War over its lifecycle. Given the current struggles of the gaming industry, PlayStation's cost-cutting measures, and the frequent failures of live-service games, it seems unlikely that Sony will take a big risk on Destiny 3. This may truly be the end of Destiny, as evidenced by the flood of social media posts from fans saying goodbye and reminiscing about the franchise's highs. Meanwhile, Sony is backing further work on Marathon, with new content planned to boost player numbers. As for Destiny 3, despite hundreds of thousands of signatures on a petition hoping to make it a reality, it may remain just a dream.
