Future followers are lamenting the way forward for Bungie’s sci-fi shooter franchise, following a threadbare replace this week, launched whereas the developer focuses on supporting Marathon.
Future 2 Replace 9.5.5.5 arrived on Wednesday, and its full patch notes learn as follows:
And that is it. Now, to be honest, there was no expectation that this week would convey an unlimited properly of recent Future 2 content material to maintain gamers occupied. Future gamers are additionally properly conscious of the actual fact Bungie is presently busy attempting to make Marathon a hit. However, as one fan put it in response: “I anticipated nothing and nonetheless obtained disillusioned.”
Final month, Bungie introduced by way of social media that it was delaying its subsequent main Future 2 recreation replace, Shadow and Order, by a full three months — from March till June — one thing it blamed on the necessity to make “giant revisions” to its content material.
On the time it introduced that delay, Bungie prevented mentioning its simultaneous launch of Marathon, which might have arrived throughout the similar launch window — presumably to keep away from the suggestion that one venture was sapping sources from the opposite. However Future followers have discovered it exhausting to think about a world the place, had Bungie not been additionally centered on transport Marathon, its revisions to Shadow and Order wouldn’t must take as lengthy.
Certainly, in its assertion on the delay, Bungie appeared to go so far as it may to sign that issues could be quieter for Future over the approaching months, with fundamental upkeep and stability updates seemingly the one modifications that gamers would see. The studio then thanked followers for his or her “continued endurance and help,” earlier than affirming that it might launch extra info on the replace “nearer to launch.”
For a lot of gamers, the information felt like Bungie successfully shifting its public give attention to Future to the again burner till the summer time months — one thing this week’s newest replace has solely cemented in followers’ minds, leading to a mixture of frustration and darkish humor.
“Virtually 3 hours of downtime for… this,” famous one fan, in a prolonged thread of complaints on reddit. “A single repair.”
“I am curious – what number of patches have solely ever been one patch be aware?” questioned one fan. “Even relationship again to Future 1, I really feel like that needs to be a uncommon sight. Not even dogging on the sport/studio – real curiosity.”
“There’s actually nobody engaged on this recreation anymore,” wrote one other fan. “Dev staff is genuinely one half timer huh,” added a second. “So successfully they’ve dropped Future completely to work on Marathon? Sigh, may of a minimum of launched the DLC you introduced first,” stated a 3rd.
“Subsequent [blog] will actually simply say ‘please play Marathon’,” reads one other remark. “You possibly can solely snort about it after which cry about what has turn out to be of one of the best dwell service recreation ever,” reads one more.
IGN has contacted Bungie proprietor Sony for extra element on its content material plans and sources accessible to work on Future, however didn’t obtain a response. Within the meantime, it stays a troublesome time for the developer and the nine-year-old Future 2, whereas there have additionally been blended stories on Marathon’s preliminary launch efficiency up to now.
Final yr, Sony stated Bungie had failed to fulfill its gross sales and person engagement expectations, following a notable drop in Future 2 participant numbers. The harm was unhealthy sufficient that Sony stated it had been compelled to file a 31.5 billion yen (round $204.2 million) impairment cost because of Future 2’s underperformance. That was vital sufficient to tug down earnings at Sony’s Sport & Community Providers Section, which incorporates Sony Interactive Leisure.
“For years now, Future has been on this regular hardening of the core [audience],” Future 2 recreation director Tyson Inexperienced informed IGN again in November. “Increasingly more core gamers are staying and taking part in the sport, however comparatively few [new] folks come into the sport. There is a tightening and contraction, and this presents issues for a recreation that you simply’re attempting to take care of as a dwell service, particularly while you need to maintain serving these core gamers with nice, compelling expansions.” Precisely when these would possibly arrive, nevertheless, stays to be seen.
Tom Phillips is IGN’s Information Editor. You possibly can attain Tom at [email protected] or discover him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social