The tension in Destiny 2's community has been coming to a head over the last few weeks. Things started to get a bit heated after players discovered that Bungie was apparently throttling XP gains and now, with the release of Destiny 2's first expansion Curse of Osiris new issues have come to light.
Curse of Osiris has essentially managed to lock content behind a paywall. If Destiny 2 players do not purchase the expansion, they can not access some of the content in the game that was available to them previously. In addition to this, players cannot access the PS4 Platinum Trophy.
In a way, Bungie has created an expansion that acts similarly to an MMO's expansion, but in a game that has been detailed to not be an MMO.
Curse of Osiris has prevented regular access to the prestige Raid, Nightfall, and Trials, which could all be accessed prior to the expansion's release. The reason players are locked out is due to Power Level caps and news maps being in rotation.
While the Destiny 2 community is distraught over this, it's nothing new to Destiny. Bungie did the same thing with PvP playlists and Strikes in Destiny 1 whenever a DLC drop occurred.
If this wasn't enough for the community to attempt to wrap their head around, a job listing for Bungie has detailed that the game developer is looking for a Senior Progression Designer. The responsibility of someone in this role would be to create "sustainable player progression" for Bright Engrams (mostly cosmetic item mods) and to "craft a long-term vision for the Eververse and its presence in the Destiny IP."
It should be noted that any game with microtransaction will likely have an individual fulfilling this role.
The job listing goes on to suggest that this role would include finding ways to maintain engagement with microtransactions and define a cohesive monetization experience throughout all of Destiny 2's expansions and seasons:
- "Use data and design sensibilities to define strategies for maintaining ideal engagement patterns and maximizing player satisfaction
- "Work with Destiny 2 leadership to help define a cohesive monetization experience across multiple expansions and seasons"
As Destiny 2 already features microtransactions (as did Destiny 1), this job listing could very well be looking to maintain the atmosphere the game has built around the Eververse and Bright Engrams. The main point of contention with the listing is the inclusion of "sustainable player progression" through Bright Engrams.At the moment, Bright Engrams don't have anything to do with player progression.
There are a few options for this listing: Bungie could be looking to alter their current system to be more enticing or the wording for the job could be giving off the wrong impression.
[Reddit]
