Microtransactions have been a big point of contention in Destiny 2 community since the game was released back in 2017.  It hasn’t always been a good situation for Destiny 2 players, but there has been a strategic shift out of Bungie in the last year when it comes to the Eververse and according to Bungie there are more changes on the way.
Bungie continues to take steps to make Destiny 2 better
As Destiny 2 goes free-to-play, microtransactions start to become a more important way that Bungie can pay its employees and continue development on the game. In a lengthy post by Luke Smith of Bungie talking about the state of Destiny 2, the developer discusses the touchy subject of microtransactions in the game and gives some insight as to where they are headed.
Smith says that Microtransactions don’t ‘fund the studio’ or pay for the big projects wholly, but that “it does help fund ongoing development of Destiny 2, and allows us to fund creative efforts we otherwise couldn’t afford.” Meaning that without the implementation of them in certain instances, like ornaments, they can’t help pay for the development time needed to actually make the content that delivers the core missions and rewards. Now that they’ve cut their ties with Activision, this will likely be more important than ever before.
Smith says in the article, “We want to believe that our players would rather just buy things they like from the store,” something that other free to play game developers aren’t understanding at the moment.
Purchaseable cosmetic items and gameplay affecting items will remain distinctly separate
Going forward, it does sound like Destiny 2 will continue to get even more player friendly. Bungie outlined the changes coming this fall to the Eververse in terms of the evolution of the Bright Dust and Dismantling mechanics in the game. However, there are some unannounced changes that Smith touches on, including a change that will bring the Destiny 2 storefront found in the Eververse to the Director, eliminating the need to visit the Tower for these items.  Players will also get a discount in completing armor sets, with each piece acquired in a given set reducing the cost of others.
Smith says that Bungie is committed to keep a distinct line between cosmetic items that can be purchased and items that offer gameplay rewards. While he says that some may “blur the line,” the Destiny 2 team will continue to keep this separation between items that can be purchased and items that earned as gameplay rewards.
