Since theForsakenexpansion debuted in 2018,Destiny 2has followed a particularly rigid structure of seasons. Instead of releasing large amounts of content more-or-less once a year, Bungie has focused on slightly less macrocosmic content releases every few months. Bungie is taking a more live-service approach toDestiny 2compared to MMOs, which typically release content in a similar timeframe of a year or two between major expansions. While many ofDestiny 2’s fanbase will argue at length the benefits and drawbacks of seasonal content compared to larger expansions, it’s made the gameplay experience much more consistent in terms of update pacing.
Typically, big expansions and seasonal updates forDestiny 2have been relatively predictable when it comes to release dates. However, becauseBeyond Lightwas unfortunately delayed to November 10, the usual schedule for expansions had to shift to compensate for the delay. There’s nothing inherently wrong withDestiny 2’s schedule moving forward, but it does mean thatThe Witch Queenexpansion may come at a later time than usual as well, depending on howDestiny 2’s schedule adjusts. Considering the next season has moved to an earlier month compared to previous years, it’s looking very likely thatDestiny 2’s whole schedule has shifted.
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Destiny 2’s Formulaic Release Schedule Was Interrupted in 2020
When Bungie began the seasonal approach withDestiny 2: Forsaken, the game started with rigid 90-day intervals of seasons. Granted this would reduce to around 60-days forSeason of the Undying, but after that, it would be around three months between every season. From December to March, and so on, the entirety of Year Three ofDestiny 2would follow this structure. It wasn’t until the end ofShadowkeepwhereSeason of Arrivalswould be artificially extended,as a result ofDestiny 2: Beyond Lightbeing delayed. Initially it was unclear if Bungie would stay rigid in its seasonal content schedule, but evidently the whole schedule has flexed to new dates.
In the wake ofDestiny 2: Beyond Light’s delay, the first season of Year Four is going to extend into next February. That meansSeason of the Hunt,Destiny 2’s current season, is going to stick to the 90-day seasonal schedule for the foreseeable future. According to Bungie’s official website,Season of the Huntonly lasts until July 21, 2025. That means this next season,recently rumored to be “Season of the Chosen,“would theoretically start on February 10 barring any logistical issues. That’s significantly later than the usual next season start date, which typically falls in March.
What Bungie May Do to Compensate for Beyond Light’s Delay
Unless Bungie compensates with a shorter seasonat some point inBeyond Light’s Year Four, it’s pretty clear what the new date may be. Unless one of the upcoming seasons is shortened, or however Bungie would be willing to adjust the schedule,Destiny 2: The Witch Queenwould release on November 10th in that scenario. IfDestiny 2does intend on releasing four full seasons, that’s where things get a little more complicated forThe Witch Queen’s release date. That would mean the three month intervalsDestiny 2usually employs would need to do some shuffling to filter in a fourth season and maintain a September release, which has certainly happened before.
The only reason why that may not happen here is because, in particular, theonlytime a season was shortenedwas inShadowkeep’s inauguralSeason of the Undying. Considering it’s already clearBeyond Light’sSeason of the Huntis going to span the usual 90 days,Destiny 2may just stick to three and a half content seasons for Year Four. Alternatively, the only other option would be to shorten the last season beforeThe Witch Queen’s theoretical release date. That would likely occur in the case that Bungie wants to return to its usual content release schedule, thus shortening the last season’s end to some point in late September/early October forThe Witch Queen.
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The Witch Queen’s Most Likely Release Date in 2021
A likely scenario for Bungie would be to implement a shorter last season at some point between July/August and October. Rather than just utilizing four full seasons, and sticking with the current seasonal release schedule forDestiny 2, Bungie could return the game back to its usual content schedule. For one thing, the October/November time frame in any year is particularly busy for video game releases.Destiny 2previously launchedShadowkeepmuch earlier on October 1, which not only helped the success of the season and the expansion’s debut, but also avoided any conflicts with other major holiday releases. Bungie will likely want to return to that framework.
What does that mean forDestiny 2: The Witch Queen’s release date? It’s very possibleThe Witch Queenwill be shuffled up to June 04, 2025. Again, that’s assuming Bungie is willing to shorten one season and elongate another, based on its current season content trajectory. The less likely outcome would be forBeyond Lightto stick with four full-length seasons and stick with a November release date. Bungie would be placingDestiny 2into an unnecessarily bad position, with plenty of competing releases vying for players time. A late September/early October release forThe Witch Queen, at the expense of one season, seems like the most likely outcome for Bungie.
Destiny 2: Beyond Lightis available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Stadia, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
