Is this the end of software development for the I2 Series?

Dont be so sure. The Fenix pro and Epix pro lines have been dropped from updates too after the release of F8.

Garmin, please include endurance score and hill score to the Instinct 2x. It wont cost you much but will gain you immense goodwill and future sales.

2331063 said:

The Fenix pro and Epix pro lines have been dropped from updates too after the release of F8.

They've got new firmware update yesterday

2331063 said:

Garmin, please include endurance score and hill score to the Instinct 2x.

These feature are not even on Instinct 3, hence no chance to have it on I2

What the discussion relates to is feature updates as opposed to bug fixes. For the record ghost ftp bug stating ftp for Cross country skiing when no such activity took place stays unresolved after 2 years across Fenix pro, Epix pro and Instinct 2X. 

2331063 said:

What the discussion relates to is feature updates as opposed to bug fixes.

TBH, I would not expect any major new features. Fixing existing bugs, and perhaps getting a minor improvement is all what you can get, on my mind, and it would be already satisfactory. Instinct offers all features they promised in the product specifications. If it is missing something important you need, then rather consider buying a product offering it out of the box.

2331063 said:

For the record ghost ftp bug stating ftp for Cross country skiing when no such activity took place stays unresolved after 2 years across Fenix pro, Epix pro and Instinct 2X. 

That is Garmin Connect bug, though (confirmed by Garmin). Update of the watch firmware will not help.

DC Rainmaker a widely respected Garmin reviewer was initially told (check his reviews) that endurance and hill scores would become available on the I3. It is just s/w that does not even require high resources (CPU, RAM etc). My request to Garmin is to enable it also on the I2X and not just I3 alone.

It doesnt address why the bug is still unresolved after 2 years.

2331063 said:

My request to Garmin is to enable it also on the I2X and not just I3 alone.

You can suggest it to Garmin at Share Ideas | Garmin, however if you really need it, get a watch having it in the specs now, and do not await it will get it later. The probability it happens is minimal.

I have both GF7P and I2X. It is frustrating that while using I2X, I lose the metrics that GF7P is able to provide. Given both come out of the same division (Outdoor and Adventure) it is all the more frustrating. It actually discourages people from buying a second Garmin.

2331063 said:

It actually discourages people from buying a second Garmin.

I do not really believe. I do not think there would be a lot of people expecting that a model costing the half of the price of the other one, would have 100% of its features.