Bungie Confirms Layoffs, “Most” Of Destiny Team Let Go
Overview & Key Takeaways
One month after a report revealed plans to lay off a "significant" number of employees, Bungie has confirmed these intentions as part of a company-wide reorganization.
In a June 25 X post, the Destiny developer announced a "reduction in force" that will have a "profound impact on the people affected, their families, friends, and teammates." PlayStation Studios head Hermen Hulst posted a lengthy blog post about the situation, confirming that "most of the Destiny team" is gone, as well as "some" members of the Marathon team and the Sony Interactive Entertainment teams that supported Bungie’s operations. Shortly after these posts went live, it was reported that Bungie studio head Justin Truman will also be leaving the studio.
https://twitter.com/Bungie/status/2070149689127973265
"As the leaders of Bungie, past and present, we recognize Destiny 2 fell short of expectations these past several years," the studio wrote. "Following our final content update to Destiny 2, and with our future projects still in early incubation, we unfortunately could not continue operating at our previous size."
In his June 25 post, Hulst said Bungie's latest project, the PvEvP extraction shooter Marathon, "remains an important part" of PlayStation's portfolio. The company will continue supporting Bungie as it works on new content for the game and incubates its "future projects," which Hulst said are "too early to discuss."
Hulst continued, admitting how "painful" this news was to deliver, particularly after the "extensive discussion and careful consideration" PlayStation went through before arriving at this workforce reduction.
"Over the past several months, together with Bungie leadership, we reviewed the studio’s long-term direction, development priorities, resource needs, and role within our broader portfolio strategy," Hulst wrote. "We explored multiple alternatives before concluding that a reduction was necessary to align the studio’s resources with its current priorities and long-term goals."
On X, Bungie said it will share more about the company's future, just not today.
"Today, we wish to extend our gratitude and compassion to every member of the Bungie team who has been impacted and to those who remain," Bungie wrote. "We hope you will do the same."
Despite indications that this news might be coming, it's a stunning reality to see play out for the Destiny team, which was responsible for creating one of the most influential games ever. It also highlights ongoing issues at Sony, which acquired Bungie in 2022 for $3.6 billion amidst the publisher's emphasis on live-service games, which Bungie had ample expertise in. That live-service push at Sony has seemingly been slowed, with multiple projects canceled and several studios shut down.
One month after a report revealed plans to lay off a “significant” number of employees, Bungie has confirmed these intentions as part of a company-wide reorganization.
In a June 25 X post, the Destiny developer announced a “reduction in force” that will have a “profound impact on the people affected, their families, friends, and teammates.” PlayStation Studios head Hermen Hulst posted a lengthy blog post about the situation, confirming that “most of the Destiny team” is gone, as well as “some” members of the Marathon team and the Sony Interactive Entertainment teams that supported Bungie’s operations. Shortly after these posts went live, it was reported that Bungie studio head Justin Truman will also be leaving the studio.
“As the leaders of Bungie, past and present, we recognize Destiny 2 fell short of expectations these past several years,” the studio wrote. “Following our final content update to Destiny 2, and with our future projects still in early incubation, we unfortunately could not continue operating at our previous size.”
In his June 25 post, Hulst said Bungie’s latest project, the PvEvP extraction shooter Marathon, “remains an important part” of PlayStation’s portfolio. The company will continue supporting Bungie as it works on new content for the game and incubates its “future projects,” which Hulst said are “too early to discuss.”
Hulst continued, admitting how “painful” this news was to deliver, particularly after the “extensive discussion and careful consideration” PlayStation went through before arriving at this workforce reduction.
“Over the past several months, together with Bungie leadership, we reviewed the studio’s long-term direction, development priorities, resource needs, and role within our broader portfolio strategy,” Hulst wrote. “We explored multiple alternatives before concluding that a reduction was necessary to align the studio’s resources with its current priorities and long-term goals.”
On X, Bungie said it will share more about the company’s future, just not today.
“Today, we wish to extend our gratitude and compassion to every member of the Bungie team who has been impacted and to those who remain,” Bungie wrote. “We hope you will do the same.”
Despite indications that this news might be coming, it’s a stunning reality to see play out for the Destiny team, which was responsible for creating one of the most influential games ever. It also highlights ongoing issues at Sony, which acquired Bungie in 2022 for $3.6 billion amidst the publisher’s emphasis on live-service games, which Bungie had ample expertise in. That live-service push at Sony has seemingly been slowed, with multiple projects canceled and several studios shut down.
