Summary
By this point inDestiny 2’s lifetime, it has become a meme to speculate whether other upcoming games will be the end ofDestiny 2’s popularity, butDestiny 2and the original game have proven to outlast any rivalry so far. However, the term ‘Destinykiller’ still gets thrown around by the game’s community both in jest and in full seriousness. Also, some parts ofDestiny 2’s community often debate whether the game will be its own killer, but it ultimately remains to be seenhow and whenDestiny 2will die.
It could be argued that any game from any genre released duringDestiny 2’s lifetime can be classified as a ‘Destinykiller’ by naturally taking fans away fromDestiny, even temporarily. However, games that are live-service, looter-shooters, and/or both, have a lot more in common withDestinyand are generally more susceptible to competing with the game’s fanbase on a long-term scale. These genres are constantly growing with more and more games for players to get their hands on, consequently creating competition for how fans of these gaming genres spend their limited playtime, potentially stealingDestiny2’s thunder in the process.
Anthem
Anthemwas a very short-lived game, given that plans for its ongoing development as well as plans fora potential reboot sequel toAnthemwere canceled around two years after the initial game’s release. WhileAnthemdid have a few good things going for it, there were far more criticisms for the game than there were ever praises, so BioWare ultimately decided to abandon the game and prioritize the studios’ more established franchises.
Borderlands 3
Borderlandsmay be a huge franchise now, but it’s still in the same boat as some ofDestiny 2’s other competitors for the time being. Specifically, sinceBorderlandsisn’t a live-service franchise, most of the casual fans at this point are likely taking a break until the upcoming releases in the franchise, likeBorderlands4and theBorderlandsmovie. Among the games andDLCs in theBorderlandsfranchise, there’s a massive amount of content for fans to play, but it does come to an end at some point when players can run out of new things to do and move on.
Halo Infinite
Considering that the development studio behindDestiny 2formerly developed some of the olderHalogames, competition betweenDestinyandHalois inevitable. As the latest chapter in the franchise,Halo Infinite’s free-to-play multiplayer kicked the game off to a strong start. However, the only time thatHaloInfinitehas ever been able to surpassDestiny 2’s active monthly player count on Steam so far has been the first month ofHaloInfinite’s release.
Outriders
Unlike most of the other looter-shooters that have competed with the likes ofDestiny 2,Outridersbeing a new IP meant that it didn’t have the benefit of a franchise’s existing community to support the game. Consequently, when the game launched with server issues and bugs, it received a tarnished reputation that turned some fans away from the game for good. Not to mention,Outridersisn’t a live-service game, so unlessOutridersconsiders releasing a sequel, its competition withDestiny 2was never expected to be long-term.
The Division 2
There are still ongoing Seasons and Events inTheDivision2, but it’s been a long time now since the game has received a major content update, so the game’s community isn’t as active as it once was. However,The Divisionfranchise still has a dedicated fanbase though, so between the upcoming expansion forTheDivision2, followed bythe release ofThe Division: ResurgenceandTheDivision:Heartlandcoming soon, the franchise is far from being out of the competition.
Warframe
Warframeis arguably one of the most successful live-service games to have ever competed withDestiny 2,considering thatWarframeis still receiving consistent updates +10 years after its initial release. Specifically,Warframe’s Whispers in the Walls Updatewas just released in December 2023.Destiny 2may have survived the competition withWarframethus far, but as the Steam Charts for both games currently show, this competition is still yet to reach a clear winner.
