Bungie is Laying off Another 220 People, “Deepening Integration” with PlayStation

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As a long-time gamer with a deep affection for Bungie and their iconic titles, it is disheartening to witness the recent series of events unfolding at this esteemed studio. The latest news about another round of mass layoffs, amounting to nearly 20% of its workforce, is a stark reminder of the harsh realities that even beloved game developers face in an ever-changing industry.

According to the latest updates, there have been reports indicating a potential wave of mass layoffs for Bungie, and regrettably, this has materialized as they announced the termination of 220 positions. Noteworthy is that this is on top of approximately 100 roles they eliminated in a previous round of job cuts last year.

Approximately one out of every six employees at Bungie is affected by these changes, but this isn’t the only shift happening at the company. Previously enjoying a unique level of autonomy under PlayStation since its acquisition, there have been rumors suggesting that Bungie might lose its independent subsidiary status within Sony, and it appears those changes are finally materializing.

According to a post on the Bungie website, their CEO, Pete Parsons, announced that the company is planning to strengthen its partnership with Sony Interactive Entertainment. This move involves transferring around 155 positions from Bungie (or about 12% of the workforce) to PlayStation over the coming months.

“In collaboration with SIE, we’ve made every effort to assign roles to as many team members as we could,” Parsons notes, “thus preserving a significant amount of our valuable talent that might otherwise be lost due to the workforce reduction.”

Furthermore, not only is Bungie and Sony collaborating, but they are also establishing a fresh first-party studio to develop one of Bungie’s experimental projects – a brand new science-fantasy action series. For more details, check it out here.

In his latest communication, Parsons discussed the reasons behind the recent layoffs and role reductions, acknowledging that the studio had taken on too much, while additionally mentioning external factors such as economic circumstances, the setback with Destiny 2: Lightfall, and others.

As a passionate gamer for over five years now, my team and I have been striving to bring games under three strong, worldwide franchises to life. To achieve this dream, we initiated multiple incubation projects, each led by seasoned developers from our current teams. However, we soon discovered that this approach was depleting our talent resources at an alarming rate. Moreover, it necessitated a rapid expansion of our studio support infrastructure, which was challenging to maintain considering our two main projects in development – Destiny and Marathon.

In 2023, our rapid growth encountered a number of challenges including an extensive economic recession, a significant decline in the gaming sector, a mistake in quality with “Destiny 2: Lightfall”, and the necessity to dedicate ample time to “The Final Shape” and “Marathon” for them to meet the high standards our players expect. As a result, we stretched ourselves too thin, exceeded our financial safety margins, and started operating at a loss.

Once the fresh path was laid out, it was evident that adjustments in direction and pace were necessary. We exerted all possible measures to steer clear of today’s result, but alas, our exhaustive attempts – spearheaded by our top management and product departments – aimed at resolving our financial predicament fell short.

“As a result, today we must say goodbye to incredible talent, colleagues, and friends.”

After the recent major adjustments and dismissals, Bungie’s team size is estimated to be approximately 850 employees, which is a decrease from the previous 1,300. Parsons assures that development on both Destiny and Marathon projects remains active.

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2024-07-31 20:41