Destiny 2 has recently partnered with PlayStation Studios for some in-game collaborations in the Lightfall era’s Season of the Deep. More specifically, Bungie has teamed up with Sony Santa Monica, Guerilla Games, Sucker Punch, Insomniac, and Naughty Dog this time around for a new haul of cosmetic items. Players on all platforms can now purchase iconic cosmetics from some of Playstation’s recent and famous exclusive games, including armor sets, a Ghost shell, a ship, and an emote. Bungie has had plenty of partnerships with PlayStation by now and even a recent acquisition by Sony, so even after this major crossover, it’s safe to say it won’t be the last.
As Destiny 2’s history of partnering with PlayStation continues to grow, the opportunity for Xbox to collaborate with Destiny 2 simultaneously grows increasingly slim. Especially since one of Xbox’s signature mascots hasn’t made the cut by now it may never end up happening. Xbox arguably losing its biggest bargaining chip may not take them out of the race for a prospective Destiny 2 collaboration, but it’s still a big pill to swallow.
Destiny 2 and PlayStation Have a Long History for Xbox to Compete With
Throughout both Destiny games, there has been quite a bit of timed PlayStation exclusives in the past. The original Destiny had a significant amount of exclusive content, including weapons that are still around today in the sequel, like the Monte Carlo, Hawkmoon, Wave Splitter, and the Jade Rabbit. Destiny 2 also continued this trend with timed PlayStation exclusives, though all the exclusive content in both games has since been made available on all platforms. While this could change again since Sony recently acquired Bungie in early 2022, the latest PlayStation collaboration might still prove to be a sign of changing times.
What makes the latest cosmetic collaborations in Destiny 2 such a sweet deal is that they are immediately available across all platforms upon release, unlike the previously exclusive Destiny and Destiny 2 original content. Perhaps future PlayStation collaborations in Destiny 2 will also be available for all platforms as well. Regardless, the pressure is on for Xbox to step up with some competition for crossovers in Destiny 2, except it may be too little too late.
A Destiny 2 Collaboration with Xbox Doesn’t Seem Likely
Despite Bungie having roots on Xbox, Destiny has its roots on PlayStation. Bungie will forever be lovingly associated with its work on the older Halo games, however, Destiny has meanwhile paved a new path for the developers. Given how Bungie has increasingly shifted towards Playstation throughout partnerships in both Destiny games, a collaboration with Xbox seems unlikely, even if it’s only a cosmetics crossover. Especially since Bungie’s 30th anniversary introduced Halo-themed gear in Destiny 2 without an official partnership with the Halo games, Xbox’s window of opportunity may have already passed.
The Halo games are a landmark franchise when it comes to Xbox-exclusive games, and since this trump card is seemingly off the table for a Destiny 2 collaboration, this puts Xbox in a tough spot. Long before the Halo-themed weapons were around in Destiny 2, players have been recreating Master Chief’s likeness through Destiny 2’s transmog system, though this may be the closest that fans will ever get to making this a reality.
If there’s anything that Destiny 2’s PlayStation collaborations can teach a future partnership with Xbox, it’s that variety is key. While a Halo crossover is unlikely at this point, Xbox still has other classic mascots that would be worthy of Destiny 2 cosmetic items that could still step up to the task at hand. At any rate, Destiny 2 passing on an official Halo collaboration is an awkward situation that doesn’t bode well for other famous Xbox-exclusive mascots. With Microsoft’s first-party development team acquisitions actively expanding, this might finally be Xbox’s chance for a Destiny 2 collaboration, but only time will tell.
Destiny 2 is available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.