Picture: Bungie / Kotaku / Kat Ka (Shutterstock)
Free-to-play on-line MMO looter shooter Future 2, launched in 2017, is one in every of my favourite video video games. I play it on a regular basis. I’ve a number of characters. I personal all of the current seasons. It’s improbable. However I’d be mendacity if I mentioned I wasn’t involved for the sport’s future, as with every passing season, it appears to turn out to be extra liable to breaking. In reality, as I write this very paragraph at round 4:00 p.m. on January 24, the sport stays offline as Bungie continues to analyze the most recent downside. In the meantime, many gamers are hoping for a brand-new engine and recreation, probably within the type of Future 3. However issues are by no means that easy.
Earlier at present, Future 2 was taken offline throughout all platforms as Bungie investigated gamers dropping progress on triumphs and seals, which function like in-game achievements and challenges. It’s not the top of the world, certain, however simply final week a couple of gamers reported dropping their characters together with all their progress and gadgets. And earlier than that, it was a brand new mission not updating correctly for gamers. And earlier than that it was one thing else. In 2023, after years of updates, expansions, and extra, it appears like Future 2 is beginning to buckle underneath its personal weight.
Taking a peek at Bungie’s official help account on Twitter—which frequently updates regularly to let gamers learn about upcoming patches, server points, and different important data about Future 2—you could find quite a lot of tweets that quantity to Bungie going “Welp, this isn’t working. We are attempting to repair it. Extra data later.” On-line video games not working day-after-day isn’t new and it’s not an issue unique to Future 2. However is beginning to turn out to be a extra prevalent situation with the getting older shooter. Taking a look at that help account, quite a lot of the tweets about bugs or damaged missions don’t have weeks between them, however only a few days or much less.
Anecdotally, my time taking part in Future 2 currently has been buggier than ever. This new season introduced with it each cool new heist missions and peculiar lag that I’ve by no means seen earlier than. I nonetheless run into the issue of the sport not counting each PvP match, making us play extra to complete challenges and weekly quests. And I’ve simply accepted that in-game bounties tied to kills, missions, or different actions gained’t at all times replace as they need to. In reality, the extra I give it some thought, the extra I understand that I and different gamers I do know have simply gotten used to Future 2 not being dependable. And it appears to be getting worse, not higher, as the sport expands and provides extra layers and methods.
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Look on-line and also you’ll shortly see gamers suggesting that Bungie wants to maneuver on to a theoretical Future 3, a recreation that probably will occur—and is possibly in improvement already—however which hasn’t been confirmed. Throughout at present’s prolonged downtime, Future Three was trending on Twitter as gamers argued over the shooter’s future and stability. For some, the concept of a brand new engine and contemporary slate felt promising, giving hope it could clear up lots of Future 2’s issues. Others identified that a brand-new recreation isn’t simple to make or easy to launch, and would probably be lacking options or content material at launch. Plus, there’s no assure it could repair the entire rising issues.
Personally, I feel a brand new Future would probably be a great transfer to ultimately make. It might permit the devs to make one thing extra versatile and in a position to deal with the kind of occasions they’ve spent years crafting and perfecting. However I additionally am not naive sufficient to imagine it could repair all the pieces or be simple to create. Nonetheless, I get the frustration gamers are feeling as Future 2 stays constantly inconsistent.
Like an outdated PC or blender, Future 2 principally works, nevertheless it’s coated in duct tape, dents, and filth. And once in a while it’s a must to kick it or mess with the wire to get it to start out. Positive, it nonetheless rumbles to life for now, however you’ll most likely want to exchange it at some point. And with Future 2, I get the sensation Bungie might be slapping on the tape for so long as it takes for Future 2 to outlive by the top of its deliberate roadmap, which is able to probably see the ultimate season arriving in 2024. Previous that, effectively, I don’t know. Hopefully by then, the sport will not less than really feel extra secure and dependable, not worse.
