'Generational talent just gone': Developers react in shock at the brutal scale of Bungie layoffs, which has reportedly seen the Destiny 2 team almost completely wiped out
Overview & Key Takeaways
Many of those being let go are showing incredible dignity in the face of a gigantic squandering of talent.
The other shoe has dropped. Following Destiny 2's last major update and widespread reports that Bungie was preparing for mass layoffs, Sony and the studio announced a "reduction in force" that includes most of the people who were working on Destiny 2, as well as several on the Marathon team and external contractors.
Exact numbers have not been given by Sony, but a required WARN notice issued by the studio says 292 positions were affected in Washington, where Bungie is headquartered (as spotted by GameFile's Stephen Totilo). That number does not include external or remote workers who were affected, so the real total is likely much higher. It's a bloodbath.
Despite Sony conveniently timing these layoffs on the same day GTA 6 pre-orders started, the gutting of one of the most storied and talented studios of the 21st century is all that people are talking about. Reactions across the hobby have included anger, sadness, and whatever you want to make of this official White House tweet. As is the way with this seemingly never-ending cycle of layoffs, we're also hearing from many of the employees affected by the layoffs, with many posts illustrating just how devastating this downsizing actually is.
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On the Marathon team, developer Biru Jones, who contributed to the extraction shooter's powerful sound design, said they were let go.
Among the layoffs are longtime Bungie veterans like test lead Dawn Vu, who was about to celebrate 14 years working on Destiny.
"Generational talent just gone," wrote Bungie alum Ben Platnick. "These people were veterans from the Halo days."
In a statement issued today, CEO of Sony's Studio Business Group Herman Hulst said "most of the Destiny team" and "some Marathon team members" are gone, but noted that Bungie remains committed to supporting Marathon and future projects.
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That rationale isn't going down smoothly with longtime fans, nor the folks who've been playing and covering Destiny for as long as it's existed.
I know Bungie is just the latest example of studio layoffs/closures shoveling skilled and hirable people into an industry that is catching them with a teaspoon, but it really is flabbergasting to see perhaps the best sci-fi audio/visual + gunplay artists In The World jettisoned by failed management.
— @woodwould.bsky.social (@woodwould.bsky.social.bsky.social) 2026-06-25T22:50:58.845Z
