Destiny 2: Why The Final Shape is a big deal

After ten years, the makers of influential online shooter Destiny are getting ready to bring a decade-long saga that's hooked millions of gamers to a close.

The massively multiplayer online (MMO) sci-fi shooter is set in a futuristic universe where humanity, overseen by a mysterious sphere known as The Traveler, fights for survival against enemy entity The Darkness.

First launched by Halo developer Bungie in 2014, it released to mixed reviews but impressive sales.

Since then it's had a rocky road, but a decade down the line Destiny has built a dedicated community of fans and had a big influence on online gaming, particularly with its loot system of item-gathering that encourages repeat plays.

New expansion The Final Shape is the beginning of the end of a story that's been building since the original launch.

It's a big moment for fans, and an important chance for Bungie to prove it can still bring the goods.

As you'd imagine, over ten years a long-running, complex storyline and huge well of lore has built up around the game.

To give you some idea of how deep it goes, YouTuber My name is byf released a 10-hour recap video this week covering the whole arc, known as the Light and Dark Saga.

The Final Shape is billed as the end of this era, and will lead to a climactic showdown between Guardians - player characters - and main bad guy The Witness.

Destiny streamer Henry, better known to his 400,000 Twitch followers as IFrostBolt, tells BBC Newsbeat why this has got fans of the game excited.

"This story has been going on for so many years, and we've been waiting to get multiple answers," he says.

"What is The Traveler? What is our purpose in this universe that Bungie has created?

"We have so many questions, and we're hoping that this expansion is going to give us all the answers that we want."

The hype around The Final Shape means there's pressure on Bungie to stick the landing.

The most recent expansion - last year's Lightfall - got a lukewarm reception all-round.

According to player tracker SteamDB - which measures the number of users logged in on PC - numbers have dropped since Lightfall's launch last February when 312,000 people were online at one point.

But they've been climbing again since March this year, and The Final Shape climbed to number two in the charts of online game store Steam this week.

Bosses at Bungie and Sony, which bought the developer in 2022, will be keeping a close eye on those figures.

The console-maker acquired the company as part of its plans to launch more "live service" games - online titles with frequent content updates designed to keep players coming back.

Unconfirmed reports have suggested that Bungie, which laid off 100 staff last November, could be forced to give Sony more control if it doesn't hit certain financial targets. Neither has commented publicly.

But Henry believes they can pull it off.

"Even as a player, I'm so nervous for them," he says. "And I'm not the one writing the story.

"But they can definitely do good stories."

He says Lightfall was a bit of a shock for long-time fans, but previous updates such as Destiny expansion The Taken King and Destiny 2 expansions Forsaken and The Witch Queen were among Bungie's "best stories ever told".

"I'm hoping that with Final Shape they are actually very focused on telling a very good story," says Henry.

"But yeah, the pressure is on them to deliver because there's so many questions that they haven't answered yet.

"And this is kind of their last opportunity to do so."

Henry says one of the keys to Destiny's ongoing success has been the community that gets behind the game.

"So many of us have been dedicated to this game since the start," he says. "And many will tell you at this point, we just want to ride it to the end and see what's gonna go down."

Henry also thinks The Final Shape will draw back Destiny players who have strayed away to other titles, curious to see the new story beats.

"I feel like the content that we have in the game right now has shown that they're taking our feedback, and are really focused into bringing really good content, upping up the quality and just delivering what the fans have been asking for all these years," he says.

The other big question - even before the Final Shape has been released - is what's next for Destiny.

In a recent video Luke Smith, one of the original game directors, appeared and told viewers the new expansion wasn't the end for the game.

Henry says the hope from the community is that there will be further full-scale updates taking the story in a new direction.

"Is Destiny just gonna die afterwards?" he says. "We don't want the game to die.

"We want it to continue thriving, to continue to innovate, and just to continue to exist."

It will be a while before we reach that point - The Final Shape's story will be told via episodes split into three parts, with a new act released each week.

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So Henry and the rest of the Destiny community will have to wait for the answers to some of those questions and to find out whether Bungie's managed to deliver the "satisfying ending" fans have been craving.

But despite going in with mixed feelings, Henry says the release is going to be a "moment of celebration" for fans.

"Overall, I think the hype wins," he says.

"Because, I mean, it's content, right? We're ready to play."

• Watch a longer cut of BBC Newsbeat's interview with IFrostBolt on the BBC News YouTube channel.

Listen to Newsbeat live at 12:45 and 17:45 weekdays - or listen back here.