New information provided by Forbes writer Paul Tassi after "a lengthy conversation with someone with inside knowledge of the situation," reveals that Destiny 2’s in-game looking-for-group (LFG) system was allegedly "announced to the community before the [Bungie] devs themselves." This news comes after recent layoffs at Bungie, as well as The Final Shape expansion getting postponed.
According to Tassi, the issues with Destiny 2’s Fireteam Finder announcement were compounded by the technical difficulty of the feature. "LFG has been tremendously difficult from a tech perspective," Tassi said. Adding, “It is far more complicated than players will understand even if it seems like it’s an obvious thing the game should have. It’ll launch, but it’s been a tough road.”
An LFG system is something players have been requesting for years — currently, players rely on third-party apps or the Destiny 2 Companion — but the surprise announcement and technical difficulty may explain why it’s been delayed.
The LFG system was first announced in 2022’s Destiny 2 Showcase with an initial release date sometime in 2023. In February 2023, Bungie’s “Lightfall and the Year Ahead” blog post revealed that it had been aiming to release LFG in Season 22, but delayed it to Season 23. The developer wrote that the reason for the delay was to make sure that the LFG system was "truly top-notch." Bungie then provided a better look at the system in 2023’s Destiny 2 Showcase, providing more information on specific aspects of LFG such as group tags — a way for players to communicate the kind of group energy they are looking for.
The in-game LFG promised a way for players to find teammates to fill their fireteams within the Destiny 2 client. This would be particularly useful for filling six-person fireteams for activities like raids, or for harder content where players might be looking for a teammate with a specific build. While players might be relieved to hear that LFG is still on track for its Season 23 release, the report of its rocky development may not inspire the trust Bungie is looking to regain.
