Sony's E3 2018 conference included the story trailer for Destiny 2’s Forsaken expansion. The cinematic was entirely focused on the unexpected death of the beloved (or at least generally liked) Hunter Vanguard Cayde-6, who was the face (literally) of Destiny 2's marketing campaign. The trailer ended with the DLC's main villain, Uldren Sov, taking Cayde-6’s gun and leaving his dead body on the ground.
While the reveal was surely an unexpected one, it left the Destiny 2 players will rather mixed feelings (leading to flooding the Destiny subreddit with new threads and some crazy theories) as Cayde-7 is still alive in the game's universe, selling treasure maps in the Tower. But Bungie have decided to take the series into a darker direction, seemingly abandoning the optimistic and playful nature of Destiny 2.
Forsaken's Game Director & Project Lead Steve Cotton and Scott Taylor with artists that are currently working on Destiny 2 explain this unexpected tone shift in the latest developer diary. The development team also comments on the DLC's western themes and the setting that will force players to take on a new enemy in a lawless frontier, far away from the safety and authority of the Tower. Take a look:
Following years of strife, what remains of the Reef has fallen to lawlessness. You and Cayde-6 are sent to personally investigate the recent unrest. Upon arrival, you soon discover the most-wanted criminals in the Prison of Elders have organized an escape. Beyond the Vanguard’s authority, you’ll pursue these fugitives deep into the Reef. Explore new regions, awaken new powers, earn powerful weapons, and uncover long lost Awoken secrets. The hunt is on.
Destiny 2's Forsaken expansion arrives on September 4, 2018 for PlayStation 4, PC and Xbox One.