Update: It looks like Destiny 2 players have successfully bullied the game's new Starter Pack right off of Steam. The store page no longer lets you purchase the maligned microtransaction.
Original story: Destiny 2's latest microtransaction is a $15 "Starter Pack" full of junk, and players were quick to hammer it on Steam with product tags like "crime," "capitalism," "villain protagonist," and "psychological horror." Not liking the optics on that, it looks like Bungie has had those tags removed.
Destiny Bulletin flagged the back-and-forth in a tweet earlier today. The store page is now back to normal – with the main tags being free-to-play, open-world, FPS, and MMORPG – but archived pages, along with quite a few social media posts, confirm that the previous, protest-adjacent tags previously topped the list.
Similarly, many Starter Pack user reviews have been bombarded with clown – or in Steam lingo, "jester" – emojis. The user reviews are currently sitting at mixed reception, with an even split between the 18 reviews.
Broader responses to the Starter Pack, an especially ugly spot on an otherwise decent, if not amazing seasonal launch, have been much less even. It's an undeniably overpriced, arguably misleading product that actively goes against Destiny 2's need for a proper starter pack that can help new players get into current content, and it has not gone down well.
A scathing response from longtime Destiny content creator Datto has spread around the community, and countless others have skewered the bundle for appealing to new players who wouldn't know how bad a deal it really is.
This certainly isn't the first time Steam users have vented their frustrations via product tags, and you can bet it won't be the last. Earlier this year, Hogwarts Legacy was tagged "psychological horror" and "World War II" in an apparent protest of the game's loose connection to J.K. Rowling and the Harry Potter IP.
Bungie confirms Destiny 2: The Final Shape delay, says the MMO's climax "needs more time," and promises a bonus two-month update for all players
