It’s been a rough year for Destiny 2. Despite the initial popularity of its Lightfall expansion, developer Bungie has had a hard time keeping its player base satiated from season to season. Now, as we approach the final season of the current expansion, the Season of the Witch, things have ceremoniously gone from bad to worse, as the Destiny 2 lowest player count record has been broken – at least on Steam.
Over the past 30 days, the Destiny 2 player count has dwindled to a paltry average of 34,402 according to Steam Charts – several thousand less than the previous record of 38,159 which was set in November 2022. It’s unsurprising that numbers are down bad right now. After all, we’re hurtling towards the end of Season 22, and historically the final few weeks in the seasonal cycle for one of the best FPS games out there – especially in November, it seems – are particularly poor.
With numbers at an all-time low, things are looking bleak for the upcoming Season of the Wish, which could last twice the usual seasonal duration should previous reports that the Destiny 2 The Final Shape release date is being pushed back to June 2024 come to fruition. It’s bad enough that there are so few players playing at the minute, but when considering the fact that Season of the Witch is one of the best we’ve had in the Lightfall era, Bungie is going to need to do something special mid-Season 23 in order to keep players around.
Back in February, the launch of Lightfall led to the all-time Steam peak record being broken, as an average of ~316,000 players concurrently flocked to Neomuna. However, the initial fervor for the expansion swiftly died as criticism began to flood in. In our own Destiny 2 Lightfall review which scored a modest 7/10, Jamie notes that “the pacing, the character development, and the plot all really miss the mark when compared to The Witch Queen.”
A lackluster 2023 for Bungie has also been compounded by internal struggles. A recent restructuring by parent company Sony resulted in the legendary studio laying off an undisclosed number of employees, including much-loved community figures. As the situation looks increasingly dire, it’s hard to imagine it improving any time soon.
While it’s mostly doom and gloom right now, there are still things to look forward to in Season of the Wish. It’s speculated that the introduction of Destiny 2 Season 23 Sparrow Control could very well lead to the return of the Sparrow Racing League – one of our favorite event playlists of all time. Additionally, it looks like we’re going to be heading back to the Dreaming City should a certain D2 Season 23 dungeon theory materialize.
Be sure to check out our Destiny 2 Season 23 release date guide for everything we know about Season of the Wish. If you’re still on the grind and wish to bolster your setup ahead of the new season, then be sure to check out our rundowns of the best PS5 accessories and the best Xbox accessories. See you out there, Guardian.