So here is why we wont be getting custom games any time soon (Destiny)

by General Vagueness , The Vault of Sass, Friday, October 03, 2014, 17:59 (3947 days ago) @ Jabberwok

Different game variants are currently a part of Bungie's plan to keep players coming back week after week. Salvage and other game modes that aren't always available a a nice treat that Bungie can drop in and out of the lineup in order to entice us to keep playing, and it seems to be working very well so far.

Giving players ability to explore every aspect of the game in that way goes against the progression systems that Bungie uses all throughout Destiny. You rely on leveling up and periodical drops (loot or playlists) to expand your experience. It is a model that works.

I think we will get custom games eventually, but it just isn't a part of Bungie's near-term plans.

I agree that we probably won't see this. I also agree that they are blocking content to keep players coming back. But I'm not sure that it's actually necessary. Bungie had an active player base for years after release with every Halo game, without needing to withhold game modes like this. Lots of people playing Destiny doesn't mean this new strategy of theirs is working. Correlation is not causation. And I also object to the strategy on principle.

In short, I agree that they are using a certain model, but I'm not convinced that the model is working any better than not using it, and I also find the model despicable.

I've never been fond of this periodic playlist thing they've been doing since Halo 3 (or Halo 2, even? I wasn't really around for that), but I accepted it. Doing it when there are only four permanent playlists and they all have one gametype each is kind of ridiculous. It's ridiculous in almost the same way as not having custom games, actually.
I'm not holding my breath on custom games coming to Destiny, either; maybe for the sequel, if they're still planning on multiple games instead of one long-running game, and I think they are because manufacture of and support for the older consoles it's on will probably end in less than 10 years.