Last Update December 30th: As of right now not much is known about Destiny 2, but early rumors suggest Bungie is looking to give the sequel a more MMO-like look. There is also a debate raging over whether or not the game will carry over players' characters from the first game, a contentious topic considering Destiny 2 is also rumored for the PC and those gamers would be starting fresh. What is known is that Bungie is hiring a narrative director that will focus on small scale content, suggesting that Destiny 2 will have the same type of regular updates that its predecessor did, maybe even more.

Bungie's communication with regards to the future of Destiny may be thin, but there's no way to dodge around Activision's annual financial earnings report and outlook for 2016 and beyond. The publisher is required to provide their shareholders with information regarding their plans, which includes tenuous release plans for major franchises like Call of Duty, Skylanders, and, yes, Destiny. Activision has delivered as expected, revealing their plans for the future of Destiny and when Destiny 2 will arrive.

While specifics are understandably absent from the outlook, Activision's plans should appease Destiny fans for the interim. A "large new" expansion for Destiny is planned for late 2016, perhaps the size of the very well-received The Taken King expansion. And confirming rumors from early 2016 that Destiny 2 had been delayed, the sequel is now tentatively lined up for 2017. Bungie has since directly confirmed these plans in this week's "This Week at Bungie" article.

Even these details would likely not have been shared with the public had Activision's shareholders not expected an update on the Destiny situation. Imagine their outlook list consisting of: a new Call of Duty from Infinity Ward in late 2016, a new Skylanders accompanying the Skylanders Academy TV show later this year, Overwatch, World of Warcraft: Legion and then no Destiny update. Shareholders would have, at the very least, demanded answers. The Destiny expansion and sequel plans are the very least Activision could provide to appease all parties.

Expectations following the Destiny and Destiny 2 news is certain to diverge. Many Destiny players will be especially pleased to hear that there will indeed be more premium Destiny content released in 2016. Considering the quality of The Taken King expansion, another expansion of a similar size is a guaranteed success. Though the wait between now and then, with respect to the current state of discontent within the community, will be a slog.

The most confident supporters of Destiny will point to the leaked contract between Activision and Bungie, which was released as part of the Infinity Ward lawsuit after Jason West and Vince Zampella left the company. That contract detailed four major Destiny releases in 10 years, with four DLC expansions between the first Destiny and its sequel's launch in 2017. Based on that initial contract, Bungie is still somewhat on schedule.

On the other side of the coin, this news does confirm the delay of Destiny 2 out of 2016. And the lack of communication around these details continues to point towards turmoil within Bungie. One hopes that this somewhat delayed release schedule and the lack of smaller expansion launches in 2016 means Bungie's taken a step back to refocus on what they want for the franchise's future. One worries that Bungie is simply much too busy and much too release-focused to honestly reevaluate the state of the franchise.

Destiny waits for no one, Guardian, but everyone will have to wait for more Destiny. A large Destiny expansion is planned for late 2016, Destiny 2 is planned for 2017, and in the meantime Bungie's hard at work on  a large spring update with more PvE content and a focus on replayability. Expect more information soon.

Source: BusinessWire