On July 31, 2024, Bungie CEO Pete Parsons announced layoffs occurred at the studio responsible for Destiny, Destiny 2, and the upcoming Marathon extraction shooter. Roughly 220 roles, accounting for 17% of the workforce, will be eliminated.
The full statement, released on the official company news site, detailed that Bungie will shift the remaining work force entirely to focus on Destiny 2 and Marathon development. In addition, Parsons stated that a sizable portion of the team would be more deeply integrated into Sony Interactive Entertainment. Approximately 155 Bungie roles will be moved to Sony Interactive Entertainment directly over the next few quarters.
These new layoffs hit members of Bungie staff both in upper levels and lower levels of the company. Robert Brookes, a senior narrative designer who worked on Destiny 2 for five years and covered releases from 2020’s Season of the Hunt to 2024’s The Final Shape is one of the 220 individuals affected. The reason for the dismissals, according to Parsons, is that the company overstretched financial safety margins associated with spreading talent too thin and the “quality miss” of Destiny 2: Lightfall.
This announcement arrived midway through the newest Destiny 2 story chapter called Echoes, which followed The Final Shape. Parsons noted in the statement that 850 team members remain. This is the second round of layoffs in recent memory at Bungie, with the other occurring in October of 2023.
No statements were made as to what this means for the current plans for Destiny 2’s future content. Parsons said, “There will be a time to talk about our goals and projects, but today is not that day.”
Destiny 2 is available for the PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, and PC.
Published: Jul 31, 2024 04:30 pm