The free large-scale Destiny 2 update titled Shadow and Order will not be released as scheduled due to the proximity of Bungie’s new shooter Marathon. The game is officially set to launch on March 5, while the Destiny 2 update was planned for March 3 and was meant to serve as the final part of the Year of Prophecy season.
According to sources, Bungie decided to postpone Shadow and Order because releasing the update just two days before Marathon would create an awkward situation for both the studio and players. The exact release date of the update has not yet been determined, and the delay is expected to last more than a week. An official announcement is expected in the near future.
This decision has caused dissatisfaction among part of the Destiny 2 community, especially among players who do not plan to play Marathon and were simply waiting for new content.
Some players commented on the situation as follows:
“Oh great, feeling like a second-class player again.”
“Damn it. I hate when they sacrifice the current source of revenue for a new baby that can’t even walk yet.”
“I’m all for letting Concord 2.0 come out and fail. Then the Bungie team can regroup and focus on Destiny 2.”
At the same time, Marathon has dealt a blow to the “Concord 2.0” narrative. After pre-orders went live, the game climbed to fourth place on Steam’s bestseller chart, trailing only major titles such as CS:GO and ARC Raiders. By comparison, Concord failed to even enter Steam’s top 100 sales at launch.
Despite the frustration among some Destiny 2 fans, the situation appears logical from the studio’s perspective. Marathon is critically important for Bungie, and the company wants to focus maximum attention on the launch of the new game rather than splitting it with promotion of Shadow and Order. Moreover, the update itself is not considered particularly large, as it adds only a few activities, events, and new loot, and is not a full-fledged expansion on the scale of The Final Shape.
Bungie is also counting on a significant portion of Marathon’s audience being long-time Destiny fans who will at least try the new project. For the studio, this is already its third new shooter IP in nearly thirty years.
Details regarding the new release window for Shadow and Order remain unknown, and according to sources, even within Bungie an exact date has yet to be determined.
