It was back during the showcase for the Beyond Light expansion in 2020 that Bungie first gave an indication of where its overall story for Destiny 2 would be headed over the next few years. It was the first time the developer mentioned The Witch Queen, the expansion to follow Beyond Light, and gave an even further look to the future with Lightfall. Though Bungie provided few details at the time, a black-and-white logo treatment and the name of the expansion were enough to conjure a lot of ideas about just how dark and desolate Destiny 2 would get as it hurtled toward the conclusion of its current story arc, the Light and Darkness saga.

Two years later, Bungie has finally provided more details about Lightfall with its annual Destiny 2 showcase, and the latest look at 2023's expansion has completely upended expectations of what the first-person shooter MMO's next chapter will be like. The black-and-white, stark logo treatment has been replaced by a 1980s-esque, cyberpunk approach, and the cinematic trailer that came with the showcase showed that players will find themselves in a vibrant, neon-lit city--a far cry from the destroyed and overgrown ruins of much of Destiny 2, or the destruction that a title like Lightfall first conjures up.

Laying out the course of the story through the expansions following Beyond Light--The Witch Queen, Lightfall, and the concluding episode, The Final Shape--gave Bungie a roadmap for the future. It also demonstrated the fact that the trajectory of the story might be too dark.