Bungie in Crisis: Lays Off Hundreds of Employees, Announces Changes to Destiny

The nightmare seems to have no end Bangi. Research Behind Successful Franchises Halo And Fate continues to slide and announced layoffs and a change in future strategy. The company will focus exclusively on Fate And Marathonleaving aside the third project that was in his plans.

In a letter titled “A New Path for Bungie,” CEO Pete Parsons confirmed that laid off 220 employees, equivalent to 17% of its workforceThe manager blames rising development costs and changes in the industry, as well as “prolonged economic conditions.”

While layoffs have become a regular occurrence at video game studios, Bungie is a special case. The studio laid off 100 employees in late 2023 due to poor performance Destiny 2 with the Lightfall expansion. Although the developers tried very hard and did a flawless job, Final form did not generate sufficient income and the company announced a new restructuring.

“I understand that this is all bad news, especially after the success we saw with The Final Shape. But as we navigated the broader economic realities over the last year and exhausted all other mitigation options, it became a necessary decision to refocus our studio and our business on more realistic goals and viable finances.”

The most important change is that Bungie will focus only on Fate And Marathon here and further. The company had planned to develop a third game, but mismanagement and the economic downturn undermined its plans. “We were overambitious, and subsequently our financial safety margins were exceeded and we began to operate in the red,” its CEO said.

Bungie to further integrate with Sony

The changes are not minor and, being Bungie, PlayStation bosses target the company. The studio had operated independently until now after Sony bought them for $3.6 billion. The initial agreement seemed odd in an industry betting on consolidation, but PlayStation trusted Bungie’s reputation.

During the restructuring, Pete Parsons confirmed that will deepen integration with Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE). The company will transfer 155 positions to SIE in the coming quarters, equivalent to 12% of its workforce. Bungie is also in talks with Hideaki Nishino and Hermen Hulst to form a new studio to handle its third project.

The third franchise that Bungie planned to develop was “an action game set in a science fiction universe”. The studio head said that the project is in the incubation stage and he plans to bring it to life, although he needs PlayStation’s help to do so. If Hulst and Nishino approve the game, will be produced by an independent studio under the management of SIE..

“These are going to be challenging times for Bungie, and we’ll need to help our team navigate these changes in the coming weeks and months,” said Pete Parsons. “Bungie will continue to make great games. We still have over 850 people working on our team to create Fate And Marathonand we will continue to create incredible experiences that exceed our players’ expectations.”

Employees blame management for crisis

The reaction to the layoffs was immediate and Dozens of Bungie employees responded. Dylan Gafner, Community Manager Destiny 2 He called the decision “inexcusable” and said responsibility falls on the workers who strive to deliver time and time again.

Former Bungie employee Griffin Bennett blamed Pete Parsons for the debacle. “Bad management crushed one of the greatest developers of all time. Resign, Pete,” he said in a post on .

On the contrary, some social media users Pete Parsons Accused of Spending $2.4 Million on Classic Cars“This son of a bitch has bought 17 cars since the start of 2023,” the DestinyNostalgia account noted. “After the layoffs at Bungie in October 2023 [Parsons] “He spent about $500,000 on cars,” another user said.