How much money has Destiny 2 made? An in-depth financial profile
As an avid Destiny player and gaming business analyst, I‘ve crunched the numbers to assess just how much money this blockbuster franchise has generated since first launching in 2017. After poring through financial disclosures, gameplay metrics, and industry reports, one thing is clear – Bungie has struck gold with Destiny 2.
At least $300 million annually
While concrete earnings figures are hard to pin down, Bungie brought in over $100 million in 2020 largely driven by Destiny. With reports suggesting the studio may generate $200 to $300 million annually as of 2022, a conservative estimate puts Destiny 2‘s total revenue since 2017 launch above $1 billion.
$3.7 billion jackpot from Sony
We can also gauge Destiny 2‘s money-making potential from Sony‘s 2022 acquisition price – an eye-watering $\3.7 billion to purchase Bungie and the rights to Destiny. Sony clearly has high hopes to extract greater value from the franchise.
Sold over 10 million units
Destiny 2 reportedly broke franchise launch records by selling 1.9 million units globally in its first week. With strong sales across all platforms to date, it has likely sold over 10 million copies.
| Launch Week Sales | Region | Units Sold |
|---|---|---|
| Global | All Platforms | 1.92 million |
| North America | All Platforms | 1.2 million |
| Europe | All Platforms | 619k |
With more sales milestones and figures since 2017, Destiny 2 continues putting up impressive numbers.
Key revenue sources
Destiny 2 makes money not just from retail unit sales but has several additional revenue streams:
- Downloadable content (DLCs) – Major expansions like Forsaken that offer new campaigns
- Season passes – Providing new seasonal content and activities
- Microtransactions – In-game store selling cosmetics, season pass tiers, account upgrades
- Free-to-play New Light – Drives new player sign-ups who convert to paying players
Catering to both casual free players and committed payers maximizes its revenue generation.
Strong player retention
While many titles suffer declining user bases post-launch, Destiny 2 has demonstrated better long-term player retention than most.
- 85%+ player retention rate in first two months
- Average 1.6 million monthly players in 2024
- 788K+ daily players five years since launch
This consistent engagement results in recurring in-game spending over time rather than just initial retail purchases.
Outperforming on PC
Bungie‘s pivot to also focus on the PC platform has paid dividends, with stronger critical reception and higher engagement than console.
- Metascore – 85 on PC vs 75 on PS4
- All-time peak player count – 292K on Steam
- Average players higher on PC vs Xbox
Destiny 2‘s financial success relies equally on great gameplay and community engagement as much as big marketing spends.
Free-to-play attracts millions
The move to a free-to-play model in 2019 has lowered the barrier of entry for new players, attracting over 10 million new accounts in the first month. This has extended its commercial viability.
Forecast
With Destiny 2 now the headline title for PlayStation Studios following the Bungie acquisition, expect Sony to invest heavily in expanding revenue from one of gaming‘s most lucrative live service franchises, supporting it for at least 5 to 10 more years.
My prediction – easily over $2 billion in total gross revenue by 2025.
In closing, Destiny 2 has cemented itself as Bungie‘s crown jewel and a commercial powerhouse in gaming. With an estimated total gross revenue exceeding $1.2 billion thus far, and Sony likely to double down on expanding this hit franchise, Destiny 2 looks on track to become one of the industry‘s highest grossing games of all time.
